A person's true nature
by Fingman133
Summary: Irelia has recently joined the league of legends, and is hoping to make allies among the hordes of other champions. But will everybody be who they seem to be on the outside?
1. Chapter 1

**The person beneath isn't endorsed by Riot Games and doesn't reflect the views or opinions of Riot Games or anyone officially in producing or managing League of Legends. League of legends and Riot games are trademarks or registered trademarks of Riot games, Inc. League of legends© Riot Games, Inc.**

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This is my first attempt at writing fan-fiction, so any advise you could offer to me would be greatly appreciated, and I will update this as soon as a brilliant idea crosses my mind. Also, the story is semi OOC and may eventually turn into yuri, but I'm just rolling with whatever ideas come into my mind, so not even I know yet.

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The first signs of dawn were merely beginning to show through the almost closed blinds that were customary for the building in which she resided. Irelia propped herself up on one of the pillows that she had been given upon "moving" to the building. She rested her head back against the cold wall and looked around the small room that she had been assigned to. Claiming to only hold the bare necessities of life would have been considered an understatement. She peered around the room, traces of light lingering around the still dark room. But she supposed that it was only for the better. Across the room were simple living utensils. Across the room she spotted a simple oven, to allow her to sustain herself properly, a fridge in which to store the food she could only assume that she would soon be given, and a handful of plates, bowls and eating utensils. She felt the pain that the small amount of light peering delicately through the windows had been bestowing upon her. She hadn't seen much light over the last three days, as she'd been moved to the building that held most of the champions in the league. She'd been moved in a boat, then a long series of trains to get her to where she was now. The building in which she currently resided was slightly north of the institute of war and slightly east of the howling marsh. She moved her arms around slightly to test her muscle co-ordination. They moved fine, but she could tell that she would need to put in some time in order to get her back to where she felt comfortable inside her own body. She could already tell that the days she had spent without practicing were already begging to take their toll on her. She pulled the two standard issue blankets off of her and swung her legs off of the side of her bed. She was dressed in a nightgown, most likely put on her by the people in charge of shipping her here. She placed her hands on the bed, and let out a deep sigh.

"Welcome to the league of legends" She whispered to herself in a joking manner "where all we do is supply you with a small room with almost nothing in it, and hope you can live on your own".

Wasn't this supposed to be an honor? Wasn't she supposed to be treated like a champion, not a prisoner? She quickly dismissed the thought, and decided that she was just rambling on pointlessly because couldn't remember eating anything over the last three days. The trip was so long that she was administered sleeping gas before her journey had begun to save her the joy of staring at the ceiling of the dark train carts and boats that she had traveled on. She was most likely administered food while she was being shipped around, but they had given her far too much sleeping medicine for any of her memories of the last few days to be any more than several seconds of slurred, inaudible noises or sudden flashes of light followed by the darkness. She pushed down on her arms and lifted herself up; supporting herself on her own two legs. She floor was a nice carpeted design, with a nice diamond pattern, which she assumed was blue and green, but the lack of light made it difficult to determine what the two colors really were. She slouched her way over to the small kitchen that she had, and opened the fridge. The light shot out, Illuminating the entire room, and nearly blinding her. Realizing the terrible choice she just made, she closed the door of the fridge and walked over to the simple marble counter directly beside it. The marble felt cool to the touch, and looked rather nice from what she could tell. She looked around the floor for anything that she thought would be of use. Near what looked like the door, she saw two small figures in the shadows, in the form of what looked like slippers; she walked over and slipped her feet into them, being sure to walk slowly to avoid straining any of her muscles. After not moving for several days, being sure to not over-use her muscles was her number 1 priority. She didn't want to lose even more time training, seeing as she knew her combat efficiency would be lower than what she wished it to be. Deciding on how to pass the time, she decided to walk back to her bed and see if she could fall back asleep. As she was on her way back to her bed, she heard a knock came across her door, and she wandered back to answer.

"Miss Irelia, have you awoken yet?" came a calm voice from across the door. She took note of the voice, which she interpreted to be that of a man.

"I suppose you could say I'm awake, but not quite up yet, if you get what I mean" she replied sheepishly.

The voice on the other side of the door seemed to break out in a short series of laughs before replying; "You're having one of those mornings huh? It seems to be occurring to most of the new arrivals. Travelling sickness is what we think it is. Your sleeping habits have been thrown out of whack, so your body is just trying to re-adjust. It happens to even the best of us." He replied. "Is everything alright? Do you think you are in need of any medication, or would you rather just get situated yourself?"

"I seem to be alright, although any medication for headaches would be quite helpful right now" She exclaimed. "Also, is there anywhere that I can have a shower? I don't believe that I have bathed for several days now, and I want the other champion's first impressions of me to not be that I take no regard to my personal hygiene."

The voice on the other side of the door stopped for a little bit, and she could hear the rustling of a bag. Perhaps he was getting her some medication or a pamphlet? He replied soon after with "Can I come in?"

She considered the thought for a second, and then decided to open the door. He seemed like a nice person, and she could use all the friendly people and helpful advice she could get right now. The door opened with a flash of light, irritating her still-adjusting eyes. She turned away, and he apologized for letting the light in so bluntly. He quickly realized his mistake and pulled the door behind him, letting it close with the force of the pull, and it fell in to place with a reassuring "thud".

"That was completely my mistake; I should've known that your eyes are still sensitive. But I think that I have some medication to help you out with that too. Oh, and by the way, I'm Nick, and I'll be your situating officer. It's my job to make sure that your transition from your home to the league goes off without a hitch, so that you can get training as soon as you feel you can"

Irelia replied smartly "So you're a doorman, a doctor and a situating officer? You must be an everyman." She replied before letting out a series of quick laughs.

He let out a short laugh before replying "I'm also a lawyer, a pet salesmen and a philanthropist in my spare time."

She looked back at him "Now you're just joking with me, even though I just got up I can still tell that"

"You seem to catch on pretty quickly." He was still rummaging around in the medium sized leather bag that he had in front of him, attached around his shoulder with a long, brown leather strap. The bad itself read "Medication only. Not to be used by anyone without consent from Dr. Stevenson and during the situating process". Shortly after he pulled out two small bottles, both were small, white bottles with a tight screw-on cap. He handed them over to her, giving her some time to read what was on the front. They read "Situating sickness pills" and "social adjustment pills" The label on the first bottle made sense, but the second one seemed strange.

"Umm, what is this?" She barked at the man in front of her. "Why did you give me social adjustment pills? Do you not think that I can get along with society by myself, so I need some medication to get along with people? Is that what this is?" Irelia had now lost her temper. The man seemed to notice the anger that portrayed from her voice, and immediately tried to justify the actions he had just done.

"Well, you see" He begun. "Those are standard issue to everyone who was just transported here. They're not what the label on the front of the bottle leads you to believe. They're pills designed to get your body back into a way that you can perform out in a public environment. Here, I'll even show you." He stepped back several steps, leaving Irelia to think about what he was doing. Then, out of the darkness, several small, circular objects were being thrown at her, with the sole direction being given. Catch. She managed to catch one, and the last four hit her and fell to the ground, each landing with a small "thump" before bouncing several feet in a random direction. Her eyes had adjusted enough to the darkness that she could now begin making out the man's basic form. He stood about 6'1, wearing normal, everyday clothing. The object she held in her hand, along with the four on the floor, she could now determine were apples. She looked up at him and shot him an angry glare, at which he laughed. "I told you" Irelia considered what he just said. She wasn't really ready to go into a public area right now without embarrassing herself. Irelia loosened up. He wasn't here to embarrass her. He was here to help her.

"Ok, you got me" She pronounced jokingly. "Now how long will it take for these pills to take affect?"

"Do you take long showers?" He replied, hoping that for once the words he wanted to get out got out the right way.

"It all depends. Does this place have hot water?"

"Well, that all depends if the person assigned to getting you up and ready likes you. Now I'll give you this. How about I let you have hot water, and we meet up sometime over lunch sometime on me? Sound fair?"

"I've had far worse deals than this. That sounds about fair to me." She replied with a grin. Although right now that was the last thing that she had on her mind. Right now all that she could think about was the warm shower that he had promised her. He told her to take the pills that he gave her, collected the apples off of the floor, and left. She took the pills she was given, in which there were two, stumbled around until she found the light switch, and flicked it on.

The pills seemed to act fast. The bright light that had only minutes ago nearly blinded her now seemed familiar. She then realized that she was still holding the apple that she had caught. She sunk in her teeth and tore out a large chunk. The flavor was soothing to her, being the first thing that she had eaten in days. But the apple wasn't grown here, she could tell that just from the flavor. Apples grown locally were less flavorful than the one she had been given. This one had a taste that stuck around after she had swallowed it, and the taste was pleasant. She could tell that this apple was grown in her home town of Ionia. She despised the apples that were grown locally. They were more for money than for enjoyment. But Ionian apples were grown to please the consumer first, make money second. She could already feel her homesickness sinking in.

She walked into the bathroom, locked the door and placed the apple down on the counter. In the bathroom were a sink, a mirror, and a simple shower. "Enough to get the job done, plain and simple" she thought to herself. She turned the tap and placed her hand in front of the stream of water. She felt the warm water immediately rush across her hand, warming her cold hand with a soft, tingling feeling. She unrobed, and stepped inside. There was not a curtain, but rather a glass door to this shower. The door was enough to stop people from looking in, and these rooms were only meant for one person. She showered herself, made sure to clean herself from head to toe. She sat around in the shower, enjoying the first shower she would've had in days. Eventually, she decided that she needed to get out of the shower, so she stepped outside, being sure not place her foot on the small mat that sat just outside the shower, wrapped herself in a towel from the towel rack, and checked herself in the mirror. She did basic motor checks of her fingers and arms, and once she was satisfied, she grabbed the apple back off the counter, took another bite, and stepped out.

She walked across the room over to the counter and peered outside the blinds just above the sink. The daylight now beamed all over her room and she dozed off, looking at and absorbing the rays of the sun before she finished off her apple, and carefully throwing it several feet beside her into a small garbage can. The apple landed with a proud clunk as it bounced against the side of the garbage can before coming to rest at the bottom. She checked her fridge out, and looked for a real meal to eat. Some form of small vegetable plate caught her eye, and she took it out and placed it on the counter. From the corner of her eye, she noticed a box had appeared on her bed. On it, it was labeled "personal belongings" and below it, her name. She pulled open the small flaps on the box, and inside she found all of her clothes. Some were formal, some were informal. She got herself dressed in some casual clothing, checked to see if there was anything else hidden around her room, and once she was satisfied that there wasn't, she went back over to the counter, took some vegetables off of the tray, closed it and replaced it back where it was originally in the fridge, and walked out of her room.

She found herself in a hallway open on the left, closed on the right. The floor was a wood floor, nice, but not amazing. On the right, spaced exactly, were more doors, presumably to more rooms. On the right was a balcony with a small railing, and below it, was a large green mat outlined with training dummies, punching bags, and a shooting range. She wandered around aimlessly for several minutes, hoping to find something to occupy her time until someone told her what to do. She may have been a general back in her home city of Ionia, but here, she was just another champion. She still had not received her mantle of decorum, or her blade, both of which she cherished dearly. She was soon interrupted on her adventure by a friend from back in Ionia, Karma. Karma had to bump into her before she even noticed her though.

"Are you in a rush to get somewhere Karma? You seem to be in a bit of a hurry." Asked Irelia. "I'm not used to seeing you rushing around."

Karma took several seconds to realize that someone was even talking to her before she replied. She seemed to be too busy staring off down the hallway to even realize that her friend was trying to talk to her.

"Sorry about that Irelia, I think that I'm still suffering from the situating sickness. From what I was told everyone new to the league must meet down in the lobby to attend a ceremony of some sort. I wasn't informed of what though."

"What ceremony? I wasn't told that we had to attend any form of ceremony."

Karma didn't bother to respond to. Instead, she grabbed her by the forearm and pulled her along, returning to the pace she was going before she was interrupted. Soon after, they arrived at the lobby, and saw the rest of the champions gathered around. The lobby was large and elegant, covered in paintings and sculptures, plaques with achievements of past champions, and a temporary podium situated in the middle of the room. The duo rushed down the flight of stairs and mingled into the group of champions. The group was very diverse. Everyone from Luxanna and Garen Crownguard to Singed the mad chemist were among the group. Soon, a tall man rose from a chair situated in the back of the lobby and rose to the pedestal, cleared his throat, and then began to address the group of champions.

"You have all been gathered here today to join the league of legends. You have come from far and wide, from Ionia to the plague jungles to Demacia. The journey must not have been comfortable, but it was necessary for us to gather you all here today. You all must know that twenty years ago, the rune war set runeterra onto a course of disaster. The institute of war has devised a way to prevent another gruesome war from occurring, by creating the league of legends and field of justice. We have gathered you all here today to prepare you for your oncoming battles on the fields of justice. The reason we have gathered you all here instead of allowing you to remain in your homes and cities is simple. We require you to become acquainted with your fellow champions and summoners. This is not a choice; you may not fight in the league of legends by yourself. Victory upon the fields will require trust and teamwork, and these two things are not just granted to everybody. So become friendly with your fellow champions and summoners. You will be with them for a long time, so try not to create too many enemies. From the institute of war, and from all our fellow summoners, we wish you luck, and good results upon the fields." and with that, his body seemingly vanished.

Silence filled the lobby as quickly as the speaker's voice had, and no one spoke. Everyone sat around and let what the speaker had just said sink in. His message was simple. Make friends, not enemies. No one could deny that. But Irelia felt as though the speaker was attempting to hide a deeper meaning. He wouldn't just bring everyone together to make friends. People could communicate and make friends back where they came from. This man was hiding something, but she couldn't point a finger at it. Eventually, the silence was broken by another voice, but this time not coming from a speaker on the pedestal. The voice seemed to come straight from the air surrounding them, a soft, feminine voice.

"We would now like to recommend that all of you who have failed to receive all of the contents that you packed including weapons, armor, or personal valuables that you have not already received to return to your rooms and collect them, as they should have been delivered to you by this point. If, under any circumstance you have not received them by the time you have returned to your room, to contact your situating officer and inform them that you appear to be missing something, and they will find your missing equipment or belonging. And, as a final word, welcome to the league of legends, and we hope you enjoy your stay." The voice cut off, and everyone sat there, wondering what to do next. Quickly, some champions began to walk out, Irelia quickly followed suit.

She returned back to her room, to find that a second box had been placed onto her bed, alongside the box of her valuables. Inside she found her suit of armor, her blade and her mantle of decorum, along with a small restraining device to hold her blade to her back when not in use to avoid stabbing someone unintentionally. She grabbed the new box, walked over to her bathroom, and looked into the mirror, gently placing the mantle onto her head and insuring that it was placed perfectly. She didn't want people to think that she place it on her head without the highest level of honor. She took out the blade, and as she placed a hand on it, it flew up beside her and the four blades extended into an 'X' formation. She gave it a quick smirk and placed the restraining device on the back of her shirt, with some difficulty. She gave a quick telepathic signal to her blade, telling it to place itself onto the device, which it did so obediently. She had been able to control the blade with her mind ever since she was nearly killed in the grand stand of the placidium. Once Soraka had anchored her fading soul, the blade was able to levitate on its own, and she was able to control it just by thinking. She walked out of her bathroom in order to get some more room, and then tested out the device several times, telling the blade to detach and then reattach itself. It would always extend once released, and would return into its docile form of placing the four blades into two lines above and below the orb, before reattaching itself snugly onto her back. After looking herself over one more time in the bathroom mirror to ensure that she appeared presentable to the other summoners and walked to the door.

"And so it begins" she muttered to herself before leaving the room and closing the door behind her.

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**In case you're wondering why Irelia's blade didn't murder everyone on on board the train/boat was because they were never far apart. No weapons were aloud in the same sleeping chamber as the champions in case of a crash, so her blade was just placed in a box and kept nearby, and transported along with the rest of the weapons after they had arrived, and after the mandatory check of all weapons. And with champions like Katerina and Talon, you can imagine how long that would've taken. Also, her blade isn't aloud to kill anyone unless its in her control, which is explained in chapter 2. I thought I'd added in that information but it seems it crossed my mind.**


	2. Chapter 2

The door closed reassuringly behind Irelia as she began to make her way to the training arena located just below the railing. She looked around for a nearby staircase, before deciding that the drop itself didn't appear to be too frightening, she placed a hand on the railing and looked down. It was about a ten foot drop, give or take two feet, with what appeared to be a soft, padded floor. Given that she was only at this point wearing the slippers that she had been provided with prior, she reconsidered the drop. Below her, several other champions practiced on the dummies or shooting range and none appeared to be in her way of her jump.

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"They probably got all their gear delivered on time, how else would they get her so quickly?" She considered while gingerly convincing herself to jump. Although she would have easily been able to make the jump before being shipped here, she didn't know if her muscles could still hold up. Back in her home city of Ionia, she kept up her training from sunrise to sunset. Her time was spent between meditation, training, sparing with fellow Ionians, or merely enjoying the city that she had valiantly defended. She could hear voices coming from just below her on the foam training pad, bickering and arguing, battle strategies or mere small talk. She finally coaxed herself into making the jump, and put her back to the wall. Keeping her eyes set on the railing, she stepped into her running stance. One leg extended, one leg bent, fingertips on the floor, head up. Several large breaths occupied her lungs before she pushed herself from the wall, running at the railing. As she arrived, she kicked herself up, placed one foot on the railing, before she realized her slipper had lost its footing on the railing, and she flipped awkwardly off the railing instead of straight off, as she had expected. As she fell, she could make out that the shadows weren't facing the right way off of the decorations from the ceiling, interpreted as she was now falling upside down, straight onto her neck. "This would be a way to go huh? The will of the blades, killed due to a slip up caused by a pair of slippers." She managed to give herself a short chuckle before realizing her death was mere seconds away. She tensed her back, hoping to absorb the fall with her spine rather than her skull, at least being able to save her own life. She felt her blade release itself from her back, but it wouldn't have the time to get under her and break her fall. She looked up, or what she thought was up, and saw her legs, still pointed at the railing, missing one slipper. As her fall reached its end, she felt her back hit. The pain launched itself from her back up to her legs, and her will, and ability to move had both been removed from her. Her legs followed shortly after, and she fell numb. But she had survived the fall, and rather unscathed. She looked up and saw the ceiling, and could still make out the small details that the designers had put into making it. She hadn't suffered any brain damage, from what she could tell right now. But something didn't add up. No blunt head trauma, no intense pain, no sudden feeling or warmth that would come from her own blood streaming over her skin, and her heartbeat still couldn't be felt racing out of her chest that would come from shock. The situation in her mind didn't add up. She lifted her head, and looked around. And right next to her, stood a tall, white haired, red eyed woman, staring right at her. The pressure she should've felt in her back was now apparent, but not in the way she expected. Right above her hips and just below her neck began to burn, but not in a painful sort of way. She looked to her right to see two hands, both holding on to her side, attached with a strong grip. Finally, after several seconds, the white haired girl broke the silence.

"Well there, Ionian. Not a good way to start off a training section, almost dying after jumping off of a railing." She spoke with a noxian accent, clearly distinguishable, due to the fact that it was deeper than Ionians or Demacians, and with a less comforting or charming tone. "Want me to put you down or will you slip again?" She said with a crooked grin, although it seemed unintentional.

"I think I should be able to stand on my own, thank you though" Irelia returned, embarrassed by the fact that, not only had she been helped out by a noxian, but she had nearly gotten herself killed before the day had come to a proper beginning. The woman let her down feet first onto the mat, before taking several steps back to insure that Irelia had not damaged anything in the fall. Once she was assured that she was fine, she spoke.

"The name's Riven and that is the only name that I go by. No nicknames, not pet names, just Riven." She pronounced in an aggressive tone, a tone that seemed to be the standard speaking voice for Noxians. Irelia stood up and patted herself down to check for injuries before replying with "Irelia, the will of blades, whatever nickname that you think that you can make out of that, is completely fine with me. Also, thanks for catching me right there. My foot slipped on the railing, and I just kind of fell. Not the entrance I was hoping of making".

"You do understand that this building does include stairs right? They're a great invention; you should really try them out sometime, they let you go from level to level without having to jump ten feet. It's really quite a genius invention when you consider it" she pointed out, seemingly amused by her own comment

"Anyways, thanks for catching me right there. I guess I owe you one, don't I"

"Yeah you do, and you're going to have to get me back for that one. I would consider saving your life to be a kind of deep debt. And while we're on the topic, what was your blade doing that entire time? Isn't it supposed to be some kind of superhuman extension of yourself? Why didn't it save you?" Irelia was taken aback by her comment. She and her blade were supposed to be one of the same. How come her blade hadn't caught her in time? Had the travel affected her so hard that even her connection to her blade, which was in a way an extension of her beginning to falter? She hung her head down to try and cover up her shame. Riven caught this, and spoke up.

"Sorry, didn't mean to strike a nerve so early in our conversation. Are you going to be alright? I may not be the most caring or compassionate champion that was brought forth to the league of legends, but there's a large difference between

"No, no it's alright. I just think I need to get back to training. It's been far too long already. I think I'll go train by myself for a minute. I think I just need to get some time on my own."

"I can respect that. Catch you around Ionian."

And with that, the two split ways. Riven returned to whatever she had been doing beforehand from what Irelia could assume. She walked over to a less occupied section of the training area, and began her training. She practiced her routine that she had performed everyday back in Ionia. She began with simple meditation to calm one's self. She then commanded her blade to do simple tasks while progressing to more difficult and straining maneuvers, such as trying to control the 4 blades separately instead of all as one. She had been provided with a practice dummy, of which she saw no purpose to use it. She was more concerned about getting her mental link strengthened with her blade before attempting to fight someone, even if it was a practice dummy. Why try to conquer someone else when you cannot even conquer yourself? The practice session continued on for what seemed like days. More and more intense routines, more and more polished displays of them. She felt the link with her blade returning more and more with each routine swing and each coordinated movement. As she began to feel the signs of exhaustion set it, she peered around to take a glance at her fellow champions. She tried to pick out champions that she knew or was familiar with. There was Riven, the Noxian across the room from her, Ashe from the freljord, and Talon, also from Noxus. Irelia couldn't seem to remember the names of anyone else around her, although there must have been at least another ten. As she turned her back to the center of the room, she felt a slight pressure being placed against her back. She turned around to see Nick, her situating officer, standing behind her. She had never seen him face to face, or even in the light before. But now that he was standing right beside her, she could see that although she had originally presumed he stood around 6'1, she realized that he was taller than that. He stood at least at 6'4. Although she was tall amongst her fellow Ionians, she was dwarfed next to her situating officer.

"Good evening, Miss Irelia. I presume that all has been going well and good for you in terms of training? Because if not, you might want to hold your breath and hope that lady lucky is smiling." Irelia opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, Nick continued on. "You've been called forth by the league of legends to participate in a battle upon the fields of justice. I need to ask you the mandatory questions, if that wouldn't inconvenience you in any way, also, why are you not wearing anything on your feet?"

"Yeah, I can answer your questions. And I haven't been provided any shoes this far. You're my situating officer. Shouldn't you have gotten me some?" She added with a small laugh after she saw the shocked expression on his face.

"Wait, you haven't even gotten shoes yet? Why didn't you let me know sooner? I'll go get you some, you just stay right here, and I'll come back with shoes and questions alright?" And he took off before she had the chance to respond. Was he actually asking for her opinion, or was he thinking to himself out loud? Both of them seemed as viable a response as the other at this point. Soon afterwards, she was approached by a medium sized girl with blonde, almost white hair wearing a silver, white and blue armor set with eyes as blue as sapphires. She took her time walking over to Irelia, seemingly not out of fear, but rather as a self confidence boost. Her voice was of a high pitch, but still sounded smooth as she spoke.

"Your name is Irelia, right? I overheard you and your situating officer talking. It's a really nice name. Oh, and by the way I'm Luxanna Crownguard, the lady of luminosity. But you can just call me Lux if you want. That's what everybody else does anyways."

"What do you want?" Irelia asked, clear that Lux wanted something from her.

"You know that you can enter the rift with someone else? Seeing as we're all going to be tested eventually? Why not go in together?" She proposed happily. A small blush came across the Ionian girls face. Someone wanted to enter the rift with her? She sat there for several seconds, leading lux along a false trail of potential disappointment before replying with a friendly "Of course."

"I take it that you're going to wait for Nick to return right? Then again, it doesn't really matter if you bring any shoes to the rift. All you have when you get there is your armor you're wearing and your weapon of choice."

"So how do I get stuff once I'm over there? I don't get it. I just go there, and everything other than the armor on me and the weapon I fight with are gone? Do I get it back?

"Of course you would silly. Why wouldn't you? You just don't get to keep it for the entire duration of the fight. Once the battle is over, you get to come back, and all your stuff will be on you the same way you left."

"But I still don't get it. Everything will be the exact same on me when I return as when I left?"

"That's about the just of it, yeah"

"Even though I'll be beat up and hit around when I'm on the fields of justice?"

"Oh, that's what is confusing you huh? Well, let me explain it to you. When you enter the fields of justice, it isn't actually you entering the fields of justice. When a summoner calls upon you, you're brought to a chamber. No one knows what it looks like yet, but that's what the league says. You're then copied over by the system, and your real body is put to sleep until the fight is over. Once you have been copied and have fallen asleep, the fake you will be placed upon the rift and your conscience is controlled by that of the summoner, although you still feel like it's you. You can still interact with the other champions without your summoner's knowledge, but that's about it. Once a nexus is destroyed, the summoner currently controlling you gives up that ability, and hands you back to you, if that makes any sense to you whatsoever."

"So what you're getting at is that I'm not even in control of me anymore once I step into that room? Why would I ever accept that? What happens if something goes wrong and I don't control of myself back?" Irelia felt a sudden pressure against her shoulder, and she looked over to see Lux's hand planted firmly against it. "Nothing bad will happen to you, you have my promise of that" she said as she finished off with a friendly smile.

"And you are absolutely certain of that? What happens if you're wrong?"

"I guess I'll have some apologizing to do then, huh?" She exclaimed with a small grin. Before Irelia had the chance to say how little sense her comment made, Nick arrived with her Ionian sandals, and the thought slipped her mind. The duo exchanged in quick talk, about how life was back before they were brought forth to the league of legends. Not much deep talk was given, and slowly, the other champions from the room left, some by themselves, some with somebody else. By the time their names were called, the room had been emptied, though neither one of them seemed to notice it. Lux and Irelia were separated, though neither one of them seemed very sad they were being separated. Quick exchanges "good luck" were thrown back and forth and Irelia was brought into a large room, with a small device in the middle of it. The room contained a pattern of lights and a solid metal of some sort, most likely of Demacian or Noxian construction. The room was well lit, though it was lit entirely artificially, due to the fact there was not one window present in the room. She walked over to the small device, which was a tall, wide cylinder, made of what seemed like glass. It needed to hold the larger champions of the league, so the room seemed spacious to the small figured Irelia. She looked around, and ensured that her blade was still on her back. She was quite relived when it was, due to the fact she hadn't checked it since she had been approached by lux. The room quickly filled with red light, which Irelia interpreted up to this point to be the scanning process. Soon, she'd be put to sleep and awake on the rift. The process lasted for several minutes before the room outside began to change to a slight shade of pink. She was let outside and a small, bed like object lay outside the glass room, though she hadn't seen it appear. Perhaps the cylinder was one way glass? But why would they do that? What benefits would it yield? All those thoughts vanished though, as soon as her body made contact to the bed. Her eyes closed, and she dreamt of being back where she belonged. Back home in Ionia.

* * *

Within moments, she awoke, but not on the bed. In front of her stood a nexus, and above it, a blue light shone. She took a look at her surrounds and saw three lanes. Down each one of them, she could see three turrets, though the fog inhibited her from seeing any further. Around her stood four other champions, each one amazed by the sights of the right. There was Lux, her friend of whom she had just met, a large woman sitting atop a large boar, a woman carrying what appeared to be a sniper rifle, and a ghostly figure carrying a hook and a lamp. She was interrupted on her sightseeing adventure by the shopkeeper who told her to get busy or she'd fall behind before the game started. She was told to purchase a pair of boots, and some health potions, of which she didn't know what to do with, but she was grateful to have something to wear on her feet seeing as the ground was littered with rocks and other small pieces of rubble cluttering the ground. She was told to head down the left or "top" lane, although she couldn't see it being above any others. She walked by her first turret and inhibitor, so they were called, before a woman cried out "minions have spawned!" And as soon as it was announced, the minions began their journey. Some of them were carrying shields and swords, whilst some of them carried small wands. Lined up in single file, they marched forwards as one group, one unit following the same route that she did. As she passed the last turret, the layout of the rift became more familiar. At the end of the lane were several bushes that allowed the champions to hide and break line of sight. It was at this point she saw who her opponent in this lane was going to be. It was none other than singed, the mad chemist of Zaun who had participated in the invasion of noxus. Although he had not favored either faction, many Ionians fell to the mad chemical brews and bombs he had scattered over the land. The damage he had caused alone took years for Ionia to repair, and the physiological trauma he had inflicted upon the families of the Ionians and the soldiers who fought to defend their city and way of life would never heal completely. The words he expressed showed that he clearly felt no remorse of shame for his past actions, and only caused Irelia to get worked up.

"I see that you survived the chemical bombardment that I launched all over your island. Did your people enjoy my wonderful work of art?" The first lines from his mouth had already hit nerves at the very core of Irelia's being. Her people had died to this man. And their deaths were not calm nor were they quiet or peaceful. That would have been asking for far too much. They had to lie there as the poison picked away at the layers of skin and muscle that had once been a living, breathing, caring human being. The effects of the poison were also as traumatizing as they were lethal. The only cure for the poison was not found until after the war, so if somebody was as unlucky as to be affected by this poison, their lives already drew to a close. The Ionian government advised its soldiers to at least put the soldier or civilian out of his/her misery or try to comfort them. But by the time the bombardments had stopped, no one tried to comfort someone. You would do your kinsfolk a favor by killing them. The line rattled through her head. You'd be doing someone a favor by killing them. That was not the way she had been raised. If it was your best friend you grew up next to and told everything to, or had it have been the bully who ruined your school years. It was all the same. No one wanted to see anyone suffer the way that they did. And Singed enjoyed every moment of it. Safe behind the front lines, he launched his arrays of poison at the soldiers whose governments told them to fight. It was not of their free will, but because someone behind an office desk decided it was the right thing to do.

"Singed, I am going to enjoy every moment that I spend killing you. I want you to know that right now."

"Come on now Irelia, there is no to be so violent, I didn't hurt you did I? You're not being annoyed by the little Singed?"

"You killed so many people in such a brutal way Singed. And you spared no one. Woman, children, everyone. You killed so many people. There is no way that you'll ever earn or deserve my forgiveness."

She could hear the anger that was no clearly apparent in her voice, but this meant nothing in the ears of Singed.

"Irelia, all is fair in love and war." He joked behind his cynical laugh. This was enough to convince Irelia to stop speaking. He understood so little about what he had done, that he was still able to joke about it. It was that or the mad chemist had officially gone mad. Irelia tried to get what he had said out of her head and just focus on the game, but it was hard to know that the killer of so many of here people sat just feet away from her blade. Suddenly, the bottle that Singed carried around on his back began to bubble, and he ran head long at Irelia, his poison gas trailing behind him. She was caught off guard, and got flung behind Singed and into his trail of gas. Each breath that she took in, the poison won a larger part of her lungs. She made a run for her turret, where she knew that she would be safe, but as she did, she felt her legs get extremely heavy only to discover that she was standing in his mega adhesive. She was tossed around, trying to get back to her turret, and without the will to fight. As she began to crawl down the river, he threw her one last time and left her to die to his poison. As she collapsed to the ground, she caught herself on her knees and took in one last deep breath, before her blades poised to end her life. If she was going to die, it would be on her own terms, not by the hands of singed. Too much blood stained his hands, and he didn't care. As her last breath entered her lungs, she closed her eyes and prepared to die. She swallowed one last time, before hearing the noise of what sounded like a boomerang, but had a more pleasant sounding tone. She looked up to see lux's baton on a return path past Irelia, and realized the final ticks of the poison had left her lungs. She looked up to see Lux, as happy as ever, smiling down at her. But their friendly meeting was cut short by the arrival of talon, showing up to take the Ionians life. As he prepared to jump on her, he was cut short by a cage of light, and stuck in place. Irelia used this window to get away from talon, making a dash back to her base to heal. She lost sight of lux, but she assumed she had escaped, if only to make her feel better about herself. She hid in a brush just outside the river and returned back to her base, collecting the phage from the store, before returning back to her lane. Singed had already done work to her first tower, and he had yet to return back to his base. She ran up, hoping to kill the mad chemist finally, but he merely turned around and ran back to his turret the moment he caught a glimpse of her returning to lane. The fight waged on, and eventually Irelia's tower was destroyed by Singed, but Irelia managed to return the favor only minutes later. Once she had grouped up with the rest of her team in the center, or mid lane as they called it, she had still yet to die. As the first fight broke out, their team won rather decisively. They managed to take two of the opposing team's turrets and managed to trade four of the enemies for one of their own. The game was drawing to an end in favor of the blue team, and they were pushing down the nexus turrets of the enemy's base after having aced the enemy team. Despite most of them being low on health, they decided to continue pushing in an attempt to win the game. As the first nexus turret was about to fall, a wave of blades began to fly at lux, coming from Talon, the blades shadow. In order to save her friend, Irelia stabbed her blade into Talon, stopping him where he stood. But this came at a price. The nexus turrets began firing into her, and in conjunction with Talon, Irelia collapsed to the ground as her health hit zero. The last thing that her still living body saw were her own blades, poised to stab into her.

Irelia awoke shortly after in the same bed she had passed out on. Around her bed she could make out the voices of both Riven and Lux, who must've arrived to make sure that she was able to get up.

"Should we wake her up?" Proposed the Noxian. "She appears to be having a nice beauty sleep, but do you really think that she needs it? She'll get all the sleep that she needs in a few hours anyways. Just give her a slight nudge, or a glass of water of water to the face. That always seems to get the job done."

"Riven, now that's just evil. Why would we do that? She's cute when she's sleeping. Let's leave it that way. Let's just leave her alone for a bit, see if she gets up on her own. Irelia decided that now was as good a time as any to get up. "Now what was that lux?" She announced drowsily. "I'm cute when I'm sleeping huh? What was that supposed to mean?" Although her head was still firmly implanted into her pillow, she could tell that the young demacian would be as red as a nice Ionian night.

"You weren't supposed to hear that. I thought you were sleeping. Sorry about that." Gulped Lux with her head hung low. "You see, what I meant to say was that…"

"What she meant to say was that she thinks you're cute, and that you should get up." Asserted Riven.

"Now how about you get up and we can go ahead and do some training. Sound like a plan?"

"I feel like I got a massive headache. Can you give me a hand up?" Riven walked over and grabbed Irelia firmly by the hand and forearm and pulled her to her feet. Even though Riven made herself out to be a tough champion, her hands were still smooth to the touch. The feeling was comforting, and friendly, despite the fact that she was a girl. Why was she thinking these things? She placed her feet firmly onto the ground and walked alongside Riven and Lux out the door. Just outside the door stood Talon, leaning against the wall arms crossed. As they attempted to walk past him, he spoke.

"That was a pretty brave thing to do back there Irelia, but it was foolish at the same time. Don't let it happen again, or you'd better watch your back."

"How about you don't tell me what to do Talon? Doesn't that sound like a fair idea?"

"Are you trying to pick a fight with me, Ionian? Those who have learned that mistake are now in boxes in the ground. Show respect when you're talking to me." Riven spoke up, seemingly displeased with Talon's aggressive statements. "Talon, how about you leave right now, before we have a situation on our hands." And admit it; you're not any good once your opponent is on the same playing field as you." Her eyes locked hard onto Talons. Neither Lux nor Irelia had anything to say. This wasn't a joke. There was something between these two.

"You three just go, but that isn't going to be taken lightly Riven." For seconds after he left, silence filled the air. Riven eventually began walking, and Irelia and Lux followed suit, not sure of what to do next.

"What was the deal right back there Riven? You two seemed kind of angry at each other." Spoke the quiet voice from behind her.

"I guess you could say that we're kind of angry at each other. More he's angry at me, but put both of us in an arena together, and one will leave."

"Why is that? Were you two a thing once? Or are you family?"

"He's just angry at me for having left Noxus, and he called me a betrayer. I guess you could say that I left, but it was with good intentions."

"Now why is that? Are you and Noxus still on good terms? I don't get it."

"Lux, how about we let the conversation go here. I think that Riven is heated enough as is. How about we stop pelting her with questions?" Although that wasn't the only reason why Irelia had asked her to stop. She wasn't quite sure if Lux had caught on, but if she didn't, it would only better the situation. Riven had abandoned Noxus by choice after the war on Ionia. That's the reason why her sword was broken. It wasn't broken fighting for her country, it was broken by her in an attempt to shatter her past. Start anew.

"I don't want to sound rude you guys, but I really don't want to be around you right now. I just want to have some time on my own. Can you guys respect that? They'd hit a nerve somewhere inside her, and she was now physically showing it. Riven was known for being a strong champion, both on and off the fields, but she was still a human being. Her voice wasn't as commanding as it had been beforehand, and her shoulders were shrugging lower than the Noxian would proudly admit. Seeing this, Lux looked at her with her attempt at saddened eyes, and gave her a slight nod.

"I'm sorry Riven I didn't know that it would have …"

"Let it go alright? I don't need your stupid attempts at being nice."

"Riven calm it down a notch. She's trying to help you. This isn't the life you left behind. I'm not sure if you got the memo, but this is the league of legends. Accept her help or don't, but don't be so evil about it."

"Irelia, don't you go talking now. You're just as useless off the rift as were in it. Just leave me alone. You're both worthless" Riven stormed off down the hallway, leaving the saddened Irelia and misty eyed Lux behind.

"It's alright Lux she didn't mean any of it. She just doesn't want to live with her past anymore. She lives by what's the motto that what's done is done. Don't let her get to you."

But Lux was already too far gone to listen to any of this, and she ran her head right into Irelia's shoulder to hide her tears. "What did I … What did I do? I just wanted to be nice." She sobbed almost inaudibly. "No one has ever said that to me before … you still like me right? I haven't made you mad?" But Irelia didn't even have the chance to speak. The sight of the lady of luminosity crying and the damp spot on her shoulder had her almost in tears as well. In mere seconds, Lux was off at a run down the hallway, small rivers forming as she turned away.

"Please Lux! That's not what I meant!" But it was already way too late. The lady of luminosity was either out of earshot or simply ignoring her, but within seconds, she'd cut the left corner, and was gone from eyes and ears.

"I need to hit something" was the only thing she could think of as she lumbered down the hallway. The first tear hit the floor as she realized she was all out of friends right now. She continued down the hallway, went down the small set of staircases and walked through the multiple open doors and training arenas until she set foot in her own.

* * *

Her first making contact against the striking dummy was the best experience that she'd had in the past few hours. Above her and to the left was her room, and taking the place of the railing a few feet away from her door stood a support pillar that extended from the room below. Fist after fist began striking the practice dummy, and she had no signs of stopping the beating. Her blade was still on her back, sweat pouring from her brow. Strike after strike, the dummy took the fierceness of her anger. She tried not to show her emotion around others, but once the door was closed and the eyes stopped looking at her, her true nature was shown. Her blades shot off her back and hovered at her side, as though she was in real danger. The dummy took the onslaught, blow by blow, rocking back every time just to collide again with her fist. Over ten minutes passed, and she showed no signs of stopping. For a second she stopped to take a breath, and wipe the sweat from her brow. This late at night, no other champion was awake. She opened the front of her shirt to let the wind from her rocking cool her down. She walked to the other side of the room to collect a dummy that stood like a human at 6'0 except that it couldn't be injured. It was a dummy more suited to champions who fought with bladed weapons, and she proudly fit that category. Taking a deep breath, she began her assault. Starting first at the abdomen, she began smashing into his gut. She raised her arms as though she was blocking, to make it more realistic. Her blades hung at her side in case she needed them, but she was unable to make them fight if they weren't in her hands. They could still manipulate themselves, but couldn't fight without her. Soon, she began fighting with a rhythm in her feet. She hoped around, swinging at random parts of the body, and giving her accurate details of what it would've done on a real person. Soon, her feet began finding the body of the dummy as well, kicking into his thigh, ribs, and even near the windpipe when she felt stable enough to do so. The stretching she needed to perform hurt, but it was comforting. It helped her understand that she was still a human and not a perfect goddess who was incapable of wrong. She knew that, but after the meeting with Lux and Riven, she felt like it was her fault and hers alone that they had both left weeping. But even though Riven leaving might not have been hers entirely, she was too shocked to talk to Lux and coax her out of her situation. She soon realized that a stinging pain had arrived in her muscles, so she sat back and rested on the mat. She sat there for a bit before returning the dummy to where it was originally. She began to walk towards the staircase on her left towards her room, when she caught the sound of something in her ear. After only hearing the sound of the dummy being struck and her own heartbeat, she'd be able to hear a pin hit the floor from across the room. It came from behind the pillar on the opposite walkway, but from what she could tell, the conversation was not going to be peaceful.

"Spying on the Ionian again huh? At first I thought it might've been a fluke, but I'm determined now that you have feelings of some sort for her. I'm so disappointed in you."

The next sounds were hard to distinguish, but with the last hour of her life being spent striking, the sound was all too new in her mind. The sound of struggling was apparent as well, but it didn't last for very long, so either the assailant was much larger than the victim, or the victim was caught off guard. Or it could've been both.

"Don't even try to fight me. You know what you've done is wrong. Now quick question before you go, do you know what organ lies behind the first to sixth rib? Guess it right and I might make it painless."

"Yeah, as a matter of fact, I do" the voice coughed out. "It's one of them that you don't have."

"Touché. I was thinking about making this as painless and as kindly as possible to honor you and your past acts of genocide, but now I'm going to need to explain to you everybody that you killed nice and slowly as I try to find your heart with a knife." That was all the incentive that she needed. What was Riven doing here anyway? And then again, what was Talon doing here? Why was he following her? She got a line of sight to them just to confirm her suspicions, and correct she was. Talon now had a blade to her ribs, and showed no signs of stopping. Luckily, he was faced away from her, and she seized the advantage. Her blade extended in front of her, separating into all four pieces and rising like a staircase in front of her. As she stepped, the blade before her rose to continue the stairs, and she ran.

"Looks like I found where your heart is Riven. Too bad I'm not going to cherish this moment. I really would've loved to see you die. But I have places to go and a body just waiting to be hidden. So if you could just sit still, that would make your good old friend Talon quite the happy man." But by this point, she was mere steps from the railing, and poised to strike. As she set her foot on the final blade and jumped to the railing, she could see the fear in Riven's eyes. She'd seen it before. Too many times that she'd cared to admit. Her foot was guided this time, and she vaulted off of the railing, and crashed into Talon with the force of determination of an Ionian. She and Talon rolled together along the floor, although she ended up on bottom. But he merely stood up with an unsatisfied emotion on his face. She looked over to riven, mere inches away from her, unharmed. Although even in the dark, she could tell the trauma that had begun to spread across the Noxians face.

"You are such a stupid Ionian. Twice now you've gotten in my way, but this time, you're really going to pay. I was shooting for Riven, seeing as she had a lesson to learn from it. But I guess you'll suffice, but I'll be back for you Riven, and you can hold your word to it. You don't even want to imagine what that blade is going to do to your little Ionian friend here, although you have both seen it before when you attacked her land and slaughtered her people. Call it, I don't know, a gift from our mutual friend Singed. He even switched up the mixture so not even Soraka can fix it. It'll be a painful death, but It'll give you time to think about what you have brought upon this beautiful young lady. Anyway, I got to get going. Bring her flowers for me at her hospital bed."

"Talon, I'm going to get you back for this, you know that right?" She muttered through her tears. "Once we're on a level playing field, you're going to pay for this."

"Oh honey, haven't I told you yet? I really don't like playing fair." Nothing was said between them after that point, or if it was, Irelia was in too much shock to even notice it. Riven slid her up against the pillar and propped her up, and it was at that point that where she noticed it. The blade was poised out of her stomach, a silver blade with a dark black handle, engraved with 'Riven' although it couldn't have been Riven's knife she knew that it would work well enough to set her up. "

They'd gotten into a fight earlier, and Riven seemed kind of on tilt. She looked like she was ready to blow." She could already hear Talon saying when they asked him about this. "I had just gone around for a walk when I saw her there, with a blade in her chest. Crazy girl must've really gone overboard this time." The next words she heard were from Riven, but they came slower than she would've imagined. She looked down and spotted the slight traces of green gas and warm, sticky blood coming from the hole that the knife was now embedded in. It was her blood. The thought struck her hard. She was going to die the same way that most of her fellow Ionians had met. This is what is must've felt like. The pain now flushed out everything else in her body, pushing aside even the most happy of feelings she'd had beforehand. All that was left was panic and sadness. She placed her hands against the handle of the blade before she felt Riven's grab them and move them to her sides."

"Irelia, as weird as this may sound, we need to leave that blade in there. If we don't, your chances of living through this." Irelia managed to raise an arm to place it on her shoulder with the intentions of speaking, but her ability to speak was long since gone. She simply rested her arm there, feeling the shaking of her friend. Riven tore her jacket off, and quickly wrapped it around her arm before placing it above the wound. "Irelia, I really need you to stay awake for me alright? I'm going to get you some help and we're going to get you through this. Just stay here, don't move, and above all, stay awake! Do you hear me?" Her voice quivered as she spoke her last few lines. But as Riven's support left as she stood up to go and get help, Irelia's head collapsed to her chest, directly to the wound. It was just below her sternum, and the sight of the blood pouring down from her stomach made her sick. Her eyes fought as hard as they could, but eventually, the shock and exhaustion she suddenly felt won over. Before she felt her conscience sink away, she felt her blood dripping down from her lip, an intense period of pain, then weightlessness.

* * *

I'm sorry to everyone who thinks that Talon doesn't deserve to be in this situation, but I needed to think of someone to fit the role. It came down to Katerina, Talon, and Zed for who the main antagonist would be in a sort, and Katerina and Zed were immediately placed later into the story at some point. I know he's not evil, and I'm sorry for making him appear so. But this story is still OOC slightly. Sorry if you're mad Talon is evil. He just fit this role in my mind. He's basically just a mercenary for hire. I'm sorry for making him this way, but maybe I'll do it right in a later story. Please don't get angry.


	3. Chapter 3

**This story is OOC, so please keep that in mind while you read this. **

* * *

The light of the hospital was a soothing sight for the awaking Ionian. Twice in two days she had been knocked unconscious. At least the first one was merely to avoid the severe boredom that would arise from looking at the ceiling of a dark train car for three days while on her way to the league of legends. And now she was laying here because she had taken a knife meant for a Noxian with her own body. Why would she have done that? And above all that, she did it for Riven? The same Noxian who had slaughtered legions of her people when the Noxians invaded? Why didn't she simply let Talon stab her instead of taking the blade for herself? She felt almost no emotions towards her beside a slight sense of friendship, if she'd even humor herself and call their relationship that. Was it because Riven had saved her life the day before? She pushed the thoughts aside and sat herself upright and looked around her. The walls were a dull shade of grey, and the only notable thing about them was the way the light bounced off of it and lit up the room. Small speckles of light danced around the room as the criss-cross pattern in the window shuttered in the breeze. The room was warm, but she felt cold. The bed she currently laid in was a small one. Two blankets kept her covered and one small white pillow protected her head. She pushed against the spindles at the foot of her bed and laid herself against the wall behind her. The design of the bed wasn't comfortable, but she could tell why. She had been out for a while. A few days at the least. She heard the sound of her door opening just behind the curtain that separated her sight from the door. Moments later, a man who she presumed to be a doctor walked around the corner with a warm, comforting smile across his face.

"Good evening Miss Irelia. Is everything going well for you right now?

"Other than the fact that I was just stabbed a few days ago, I'd dare say I'm doing rather well. Thank you for asking doctor."

"Good to see that your sense of humor didn't take the blunt of the injury. Are you feeling any pain or uneasiness at this point? Do you feel any pain in your stomach or head?"

Irelia placed her hand down the sheets and on her stomach and felt a wad of what felt like gauss bandages. They were soft to the touch, and felt like a very loose fabric that rose and fell with every breath. It extended from just above the waist to about halfway up her chest. "Not that I can tell right now, but I don't like the amount of gauss that I have on me. Doctor how bad was I hurt?"

The doctor's warm smile faded the moment her lips closed, and he looked down at his note pad. He looked up seconds later with a smile, but not as warm or as comforting as the one his face bore moments prior.

"Irelia, I don't want to scare you when I say this, and please don't get angry or afraid when I say this." He hesitated for a moment as he searched for the right words. "Right now, you shouldn't be here."

"What was that supposed to mean? Was I supposed to recover faster?"

"Irelia, I'm going to put this bluntly alright? There isn't any way any of us could think of that would've allowed you to live through that dangerous of a stab."

The words didn't hit her as hard as they should have. Irelia had already been in this situation at the placidium. She'd almost died, but she had her life saved by the star child herself. "It really couldn't have been that bad doctor. Are you sure you aren't over exaggerating a little bit?"

"Not in any way. The knife went in deep, and the only reason that it stopped was because the hilt of the blade stopped it. It was a lethal stab to even the vast majority of the population here." The doctor's warm and comforting smile returned. "You're really something else Irelia. I can see what the talk of everyone around here says so."

"You're not the doctor who was with me this whole time?" She asked confused. "Wouldn't the one doctor be in charge of his patient the entire time?"

"You were operated upon, and placed in here. Nurses rolled you over every day to make sure that you didn't develop blisters or what have you, but you never really had a doctor, or any medical equipment attached to you. For the first seven days, we thought you were dead, but pleas of a special person who chose to go unnamed managed to convince us otherwise. I'm really the first doctor who has come in here and checked up on you. You practically healed yourself. That's what Soraka told us to do anyways. And you came through in the end."

"The person who you're talking about, was her name Riven by any chance? Also, how long was I out for?"

The doctor joked around for a little bit. "Now Irelia, they chose to go unnamed for a reason. Telling you what their name was would just be cheating now wouldn't it? And you were out for about one and a half weeks. It was quite a long sleep that you had there."

"It's alright doctor. I know that it was Riven. Could you do me a favor and get her for me? I'd like a word with her. If it doesn't inconvenience you in any way, of course?"

I'm not going to bother beating around the brush Irelia. I'll go get her for you. Also, you might want to give that blade of yours a little attention. From the nurses notes here he hasn't left your side since you got here, and they couldn't get you two apart with anything they had."

And with that, the doctor left as quickly as he had arrived, the door closing behind him. To the right of her bed, her four sided blade sat, ready and waiting at her side, hovering in the air. Seeing as she was out for the last week and a half, she admired its determination. It hovered at the same spot, never wavering from its location. She imagined it lifting and dropping to her legs, and that it did. It rested itself softly just above her kneecaps just as the door re-opened. The doctor appeared with the Noxian woman, whose red eyes seemed warn out and heavy.

"Are you still doing alright Irelia? I see that you and your blade are still one person. That's a positive sign. That just shows that you have no apparent brain damage as well. Injury to the brain most likely would've caused that link to falter. Do you feel you can control it just as well as before you had sustained your injury?"

Her blade rose back into the air and floated around the room for a few moments before returning back. It came to rest just beside her head, suspended in the air.

"I'm going to take that as a yes then." The doctor spoke with a happy charm. "You are really something else Irelia. But I guess I'd better let you and Riven have that conversation you asked for. If you need anything, just pull the chord to your left and we'll be notified. Do you need anything else before I leave?" Irelia gave the doctor a small shake of her head. "Then I'll be off. You get better soon; you've come way too far now to not make it." And with that, the doctor left, leaving the two soldiers alone in the room together.

"I see that you're awake now Irelia. I knew you'd wake up."

"You're not the kind of person who likes formal introductions huh Riven? And yes, I am awake. No thanks to you of course." The words left her lips before she had the chance to think about saying them. The Noxian didn't seem really affected by the comment, but her next sentence showed it had.

"I know that I'm the reason you're in a hospital bed right now Irelia. I almost got you killed. Does that make you feel any better about yourself? Does it make you feel like you accomplished something?"

"I didn't mean it that way. I'm just angry that I'm stuck in a hospital bed after my first day of being here. You get what I mean right?"

"It's alright Irelia I'm not going to get mad at you for hurting my feelings. It is my fault that you're lying here right now in a hospital bed." She locked eyes with the Ionians. "You're a great person, you know that. You stuck by Lux's side when I got worked up, and you're not holding a grudge. That takes a special kind of person."

"Oh you think I'm going to let this slip past unnoticed and keep going on my merry way? You're so deceived Riven." The guilt spread across the Noxians face in waves. Her eyes and mouth sagged, her posture slumped.

"I should've guessed. I thought we could start over as friends. Get a clean slate you know?"

"There's no shame in thinking that Riven. But I almost died for you. You're a Noxian. You tried to … No I take that back. You did kill many of my people. That isn't something that I can so easily forgive and forget Riven. I know what you've done is in the past, but I don't know if I can forgive it."

"You do hold a grudge I guess. I don't really know the real you do I? I thought you were a lot calmer and collected than this."

"And I thought that you weren't so mushy and weak on the inside Riven. What has gotten into you? You butchered legions of soldiers like a mindless pawn! Why are you going to soft on me now! We're enemies! Not friends!"

A wave of red struck over the Noxian and she raised a hand to cover her eyes. "Irelia, what has gotten into you? A week and a half ago you were someone I could respect. Now you're lashing out at me?"

"Why am I laying here right now Riven? Do you know who I caught that blade for?"

The Exiles hand moved away from her eyes, revealing her saddened but angered eyes. "Are you saying that if I was to put you back into that situation again, you would have just let me there to die? Why did you even try to save me in the first place! Why wouldn't you just let me die?"

The words carried the might of a stampede of horses. Why did she go up there and save her? The Noxian that stood before her could have been dead instead of her being bedridden for she didn't even know how long. She'd butchered so many Ionians for the better of Noxus, and would've killed her had she have had the choice. Her throat began to swell up with the anger she was beginning to feel.

"I wish I could answer that question, but I don't think that either one of us would want to hear the answer to it. How about you just" was all she managed to say before the Noxian was upon her, with her lips pressed to hers. The heat and pressure left as soon as it had arrived, and the woman headed for the door. She managed to turn around with blushing cheeks. "Come find me when you get better alright?" Before the Ionian had the chance to open her lips in response, the door hit the border. Her right hand rose to her lips as she felt the un-normal warmth the Noxian had left. Her blades still waved through the air, watching over her, although it had made no attempt to attack Riven. It couldn't attack without her usage, but it could at least pushed Riven away. And her blade knows all that Irelia knows. She was unsure whether the feeling was good or bad. Or both.

"Emotions are so twisted." She laughed to herself in the now empty room before dozing back off to sleep in the hospital bed.


	4. Chapter 4

After several more days of resting and basic exercises, Irelia was allowed to leave the confines of her hospital room. She still wore bandages over the wound to prevent it from getting exposed and scaring those who saw it, but also allowing the wound to get exposed to open air and movement. Awakening for the last time in the small hospital room, she felt the summer breeze blow through the window, launching the curtain and her hair around in unison, the evening sun throwing rays of light around the room. She was still dressed in her provided medical gown that she assumed that she had been placed into when she was administered into the hospital. The hospital itself was very close to the league, being placed slightly away from the building to allow the champions to practice without needing to see the medical ward, or something like that. Irelia had never really bothered much in the architecture of buildings, and she wasn't about to start doing so now. Placing herself on her own two feet for the first time in two weeks, the feeling was strange but accomplishing. She took step by step to the other side of her room, looking around for the bathroom, and in the meantime found her set of armor lying neatly folding on a small box in the far corner of the room. The hole the knife had left was practically invisible, and would have been completely un-seeable had it not have been for the slight white tint of the thread that sewed it, though that would be un-seeable to the normal passerby. She wandered around the room for a few minutes, getting back into the habit of walking on her own two legs. She managed to make her way over to her armor, and through a bit of fumbling, place it upon herself. Her blade hung near her head, making no noise as it did so. The doctor appeared soon afterwards, letting her know again how amazing it was and what a medical miracle she had performed, but that was really irrelevant to her. Right now she just wanted to get back to the league and get back to the small life of training and whatever small group of accomplices she had back at the league. But despite her best effort, the encounter with Riven still flashed vividly through her mind. Feelings flew through her mind, and the thought of what had occurred caused her to feeling both anger and curiosity. She flung the thoughts aside when she realized how stupid she was being right now. She would never forgive Riven for what she had done. Nothing that the noxian could do would ever undo the pain that she had brought. Once the doctor was done her evaluation, she gave him a quick smile, and walked out the door. After a few minutes of wandering through the halls trying to find the main doors she managed to make it outside and take her first deep breaths of fresh air that her lungs had been treated to in two weeks. The league of legends stood tall and proud several hundred feet in front of her, she began the trek. Her shoes crunched against the gravel walkway as she strode towards the large closed doors that cut of the league from the rest of the world. The trees lined the left side of the walkway, causing the light that made it through to dance around the gravel walkway, engaged in never ending movement. The magnificent oaks stood tall and straight, undisturbed by the wind that blew at their sides. The color was a darker brown, causing the trees to display fewer variations in the texture of their bark. The several hundred feet passed in mere minutes and she pressed her arms against the large pair of doors. They stood at roughly three times her height, and had a nice, cherry colored tint to them. The doors opened nearly without effort and the dwarfed Ionian walked through and quickly pulled them closed behind her. She walked around to the staircase on her right, and climbed the twenty or so stairs with ease. She made her way down the hallway, watching the champions below her strike the dummies or train their aim against the statuettes at the end of perfectly linear corridors. Her door to her room opened with a warming creak and she stepped inside, leaving the door wide open behind her as she stepped inside. The room had clearly been cleaned recently as the room seemed to reflect the slightest glimmer of light that entered it. She simply did a quick check of her room before exiting the door and locking it shut behind her. She walked down and around to her practice pad, and found that it only housed around half the people that it had originally housed. She only counted seven, and this was one of the more filled practice pads from what she could tell. The lady of luminosity stood in front of her, throwing her orbs of light down one of the practice ranges. A quick hand on her shoulder caused her to turn heels and face the Ionian. The shock on her face quickly switched to her more normal smile, her face bright with excitement.

"Welcome back Irelia!" She spoke in her high pitch, happy voice. "I haven't seen you for weeks. How have you been?"

"I've been lying in a hospital bed for the last two weeks. I have been much better." She felt no need to return the hospitality to the shining light mage. "Where has everybody gone?"

Lux looked around puzzled for a few seconds before returning her eyes back to the woman standing in front of her. "Oh, I completely forgot about that. Sorry. The thought completely skipped my mind. Everyone is currently practicing in the new arena that the league has created for us. It's designed to give us much more realistic training or something like that. I didn't really pay much attention to the announcement they put on."

"So I take it that is where Riven has gone, correct? She was here a few weeks ago, but she isn't here anymore."

"Oh, Riven? No. She has been placed under arrest for attempted murder, along with Singed. She was only aloud out once to go visit you once you got up, because apparently she pleaded the entire time you were out." The Ionians calm voice turned to that of pure annoyance once the statement was over.

"You're telling me that the detectives of this place couldn't even determine that Riven had tried to save my life, not end it? Who even bothered to hire these guys in the first place?"

"Irelia, Riven was caught fleeing the scene. She was running as fast as she could away from you once you were down. That's what I heard at least. They found her jacket wrapped around your chest, and determined that she was the one who had tried to murder you. Her name was found on the knife that was inside of your chest, and the detectives immediately pinned all the blame on her. The poison located on the knife was determined to be that of what Singed, so he and Riven were charged with murder and locked up. From what I heard, Riven pleaded that you hadn't died even when your vital signs were almost gone. She claimed that you were worth trying to save, and that you'd pull through. She was aloud her one small leave once she found out you were alive under extreme surveillance of the room."

"Thank you for that Lux. I'm going to go find Riven and get her out of there. Where are they right now do you know?"

"They're in a room on the left corridor, closer towards where the new training rooms and summoning rooms are. It's just down a long hallway. It's the third door on your right. Singed is in the sixth room on the right."

"I don't care about Singed. I'm going to get Riven out of there. You take care alright Lux?"

"You too. Good luck! Don't be foolish!"

Her pace rose as she flew up the two flights of stairs to the open corridor to her left. She walked towards the training area. "Who did they put in charge of doing this investigation?" And not one person managed to cross her mind. Just because the knife had Riven engraved into it didn't meant that she did it. If that was their supporting evidence, she was going to have to severely consider ever letting them ever do their job ever again. The hallway entered her around one minute after walking down the corridor. She quickly walked around the corner and peered down the long hallway. Its simple wallpaper stretched along the walls several hundred feet, and the hallway was roughly five feet in width. Her stride was determined as she approached the third door on her right. Two annoyed and angry voices shot through the wall. She twisted her wrist against the knob and entered the room. A tall woman with pink hair and huge fists had Riven pinned against the wall while a thinner woman with brown hair that stretched down her back pelted her with insults.

"What do you two think that you're doing?" Asked Irelia with a shocked tone. The room was long and wide and stood about ten feet from floor to ceiling. The walls were a simple grey paint with small chips in the process of falling off or had already fallen off. There was a small cell in the corner of the room, taking up roughly one tenth of the room with an optimistic evaluation. The bars were thick, and blocked off most of the cage. A small door in front of the cage sat wide open, the bars slightly pulled outwards. Small benches were scattered amuck in the room, all of differing shapes and sizes.

"How about you leave right now before we have to do the same to you?" Threatened the pink haired woman

"How about I stand my ground and give you about ten seconds to explain what you're doing before I report this to the police?"

"I don't want to put this harshly, but we are the police." Shot back the brunette.

"You're Vi and Caitlyn aren't you? From what I heard about you two you were supposed to be decent police officers in charge of defending piltover. And now you're beating up a Noxian that doesn't even have the will to fight back."

The Noxian was dropped to the floor, her legs unable to support her weight as she collapsed against the wall.

"Yeah, we're beating up a Noxian, and so what? You're supposed to hate these guys anyways? Why are you standing up for one?" The pink haired girl pushed on.

"This is police brutality. Doesn't that click into your head?"

"So what if what we're doing is police brutality? We're the police here. Simply put, we are the rules here."

Irelia's blade floated softly in front of Irelia, and her hand made a link with the orb in the center, creating a red line between the two.

"How about I give you until the count of ten to leave this room before I need to take matters in to my own hands?"

"If I were stupider than I am Ionian, I'd think that you were threating us Ionian. Even you, the fool who dove in front of a blade for this Noxian wouldn't be stupid enough to challenge both of us."

"You two really are quite full of yourselves aren't you? I didn't think someone could even be that full of themselves. "

"And I didn't know someone could be so cocky and selfish. You don't care about the league becoming a better place; you just care about your own selfish desires."

The atmosphere in the room began getting heated. Both parties locked eyes and didn't look away for anything.

"Vi, I strongly suggest you think about who dove in front of that blade before you try and say I was selfish. Riven is being falsely held and I'm here to get her out of here."

"I know that you dove in front of that blade for her. But that isn't what I would consider smart or caring. Now you just leave and let us go back to our job and try to plead innocent to the judges or whoever. I really don't care."

"I'm not leaving until I know she's safe in my custody. And if you won't hand her over, I'll have to take her from you. By any means I deem right."

"Oh, now I'm sure you're threatening us Ionian."

"Vi, I'm not threatening you. Not in any way, shape or form. I'm just more than happy to perform negotiations with a blade."

The brunette drew a sniper from her back and pointed the long barrel straight at her leg

"If you take one step closer, I'll be forced to tranquilizer you exactly where you stand."

"Try me."

The blades shot out and launched the brunette's sniper halfway across the room before she even had time to respond to what was happening. She commanded her blades to pin Caitlyn down, and she was launched up against the wall. The blades hit underneath her arms and kept her pinned while her other two defended her from Vi. The two engaged in a flurry of punches and counters, kicks and dodges. Sweat began pouring down their faces as Caitlyn's screams faded into the background. Whenever Vi would go for a punch, it would be simply dodged by Irelia, who refused to return any punches of her own. She feared if she overdid herself right now, she would tear the stitches she was certain she had in her chest. Her breathing got heavy and constant as she dodged countless of Vi's huge punches. One direct hit and she'd be thrown against the wall and knocked unconscious. She caught a glimpse of Riven, lying against the wall passed out due to asphyxiation. The pink haired defender of piltover threw one last punch at Irelia, launching herself at Irelia and carrying her into the air before slamming her back down to the ground. As she prepared to smash her one last time, her blade caught around Vi's legs and threw her to the floor. The two sat lying down side by side, each too exhausted to move another muscle. Vi regained her footing first, and lifted Irelia by the neck into the air.

"Oh cupcake, I would so enjoy smashing you against a wall right now. You let Caitlyn down or maybe I just will."

"You make me."

Vi increased her grip on Irelia's neck, causing her to gasp for air. Her grip was strong and immovable. No squirming and pulling would do anything to falter her grip. She could just stab Vi to death, but that was illegal, and she didn't want to kill anyone anymore. As she prepared to pass out, her blades smashed into the side of Vi's massive glove, causing it to drop to the ground, releasing Irelia in the process. She placed her hands to her neck and took several deep breaths before looking up to vi, whose other glove was already poised to smash her into the floor. It came down fast, swinging directly for her head. Her blades rose to try and stop it, but they were too weak. They were just an extension of Irelia herself, so if Irelia was weakened, her blades were weakened. Just before her punch connected, Vi stopped and faced the door. As Irelia managed to twist herself around from on her knees, she saw a small armadillo standing in the doorway. His head was tilted slightly downwards and his eyes were focused onto Vi's

"Rammus. What are you doing? This isn't your fight."

He didn't speak, he merely walked into the room and placed himself between Irelia and her attacker. As Vi's glove began to steam, charging another punch, Rammus simply stood his ground, ready to take the punch.

"Vi, just let it go. We don't want this fight getting any more out of hand then it already has." Begged Caitlyn from her pinned position on the wall.

"You win this one Ionian. Just let Caitlyn down from the wall and we'll get out of here."

The blades released from the wall and returned to the red orb connected to Irelia's hand and reconnected. Caitlyn walked to the other side of the room to collect her sniper while Vi grabbed her dropped glove with her remaining gloved hand and together they walked to the door, but stopped just before leaving.

"Irelia, don't try to make enemies with us. We're not …"

Rammus gave a loud, angry grunting noise and a quick shrug towards the door. They two defenders of piltover left the room, leaving Irelia, Rammus and Riven behind. Irelia gathered herself, before walking over to the still unconscious Noxian. She had a slight bruising around her collarbones, showing the brutality had gone on for a while. She slipped one arm around her neck and one around her hips and lifted her into the air. She felt the strain against her chest and the pain in her arms, but she still managed to lift the limp body into the air. She turned to see Rammus walking out the door with his quick short steps.

"Rammus. Thank you for doing that for me."

The little armordillo responded with a quick "Yep" before rolling down the hallway, out of sight. She carried the limp Noxian down the hallway, across one of the bridges that connected the left and right corridors, her muscles aching and burning with every step that she took. But yet she managed to forge onwards and eventually managed to make it back to her room. She placed the Noxian in her bed and insured that her head was nicely placed against the pillows. She pulled the blanket up to her neck and looked at her. The Noxian looked peaceful while she slept. She rolled over onto her side causing Irelia to step back, but once she was sure that the Noxian was still asleep, she walked back. Her hair had fallen down across her eyes, and she pulled it away and placed it against the side of her head and across her forehead. She gave a quick smile as she watched her sleep peacefully, taking in the Noxians beauty. She had never really looked eye to eye at Riven when she had a clear mind. Either she had just saved her life, had been so angry she would have stabbed her then and there had she of had the opportunity to, had her own life saved by her, or had just watched her storm out boiling mad. But seeing her now with a clear mind she was able to take in her full beauty. Her mouth and nose were well curved, and her skin tone was a well-tanned brown. She watched for a few minutes, and after Riven rolled back onto her back, watched the blanket rise and fall as she breathed in and out. She eventually pressed her back to the wall and closed her eyes. The next thing she felt was a quick shaking against her shoulders as she woke up. In front of her stood Riven, shaking her violently yelling at her to wake up.

"What is it Riven? What's going on?" She asked drowsily, her eyes only half open.

"I think we have some unexpected company." Muttered the Noxian.

As she turned to her left, she saw two legal officers and five police officers standing in her kitchen.

"Irelia, Riven, we're going to have to ask for your cooperation before we need to force it out of you." Spoke one of the officers.

"What do you need us for?" Asked Irelia, still only half awake and sitting on the floor.

"We'll explain on the way. Come with us please."

She managed to get up off the floor and stagger along with the group of people. Bumping into the corner of the wall and nearly tripping while staggering towards the door

"Am I asking too much for a little bit of time without something happening?" Was the last thing she thought before her door shut behind her and she followed the group down the hallway with Riven following close behind.


	5. Chapter 5

The pace down the hallway was quick. Her already tired legs muscles drug with an occasional "thud" as her foot arched against the floor. The guards and legal officials walked with purpose in their steps. Their overshined shoes stomped against the floor in a constant beat. The still awakening Ionian walked with them, but she could tell her muscles hadn't had time to awaken yet. The aching pain was felt all over her body from the fight last night or an awkward sleeping position, it meant nothing. The official in front of her wore a black suit pressed firmly to his back, his shoulder blades moving with every step he took, his arms swinging rhythmically against his sides. His sleek black hair was pressed against his head, the light reflecting off in rays. His jeans had clearly been ironed, as a crease in them couldn't be bothered to be found with a microscope. A small device hung out of his ear, the chord attaching down around the front of his neck somewhere. A small handgun sat out of his hip, its point clear. "We aren't trusted."

"Where are we going?" She spoke, trying to break the ice and start a conversation.

"You're being taken to a court room where you will be contesting against the detainee Riven of Noxus for your attempted murder." He spoke with a monotone voice.

"Wait? I'm attempting to get Riven into... What are the possible charges?" Her tone shook, wavering from its normal, commanding voice.

"Irelia, you're on a need to know basis. Your lawyer will fill you in once we arrive any minute now. I ask you remain quiet for the rest of the duration of the walk."

She swung her head around to get a look at her friend, but the guard behind her, but he simply brought the butt of his rifle to bear, and she turned her head back towards the front. The walk was over within minutes, and she arrived at a set of closed doors. The train split off, leaving Irelia with a middle aged, dark man holding a clipboard in one hand, a pile of small notes in the other. His face displayed no emotion, and his only movement he displayed was that of his eyes scanning back and forth against his cards. One by one, they were thrown onto the clipboard where they rested as he continued on to the next one. She approached him, and he seemed unaware of her presence. All of the guards and officials went with Riven through the main doors, and they thudded close with a disheartening "smash" Her lawyer raised his head, looking the Ionian in the eyes. His complexion was that of a middle aged man, who she placed to be in his mid-thirties. His eyes were a dark green, with a slight amount of brown. The areas around his eyes bore lines, showing he'd seen his fair share of life and the harshness it displayed. His mouth was a dulled out pink, not a bright or medium shade of pink that almost anyone else would've

"You are Irelia, correct?" He questioned. "Will of the blades?"

"Yes, that is me, and you are?"

He returned a stern glare. "My apologizes, let me introduce myself. I am Carlyle, and I will be your lawyer for this case. As it has been proposed to me, she attempted to murder you, and I am here to ensure that she is at the least locked away, or better. Is that correct?"

"No, it's not. That's not how it goes at all!"

"Irelia, I never really took you for the emotion type. You have been through a lot of traumatic events recently, and if you wish, I can get you in to see a counselor once this situation has been settled. With your permission, that is. Now, as I was saying."

Her voice riddled with annoyance, she responded. "This has nothing to do with me being traumatized. Riven is being falsely accused. Please just …"

Her next words were rudely cut off. "We are going to go into that courtroom, testify, and get this disgrace of a champion locked up. And yes, you are traumatized. You broke that woman out of a secure jail cell. That is illegal. You're lucky those you assaulted decided not to press charges. Now, as I was saying before you interrupted me. I will testify, and you will not speak unless you are asked to do so by the judge herself. Is that understood?"

This was not a sentence she wanted to reply to. He hadn't taken anything she said seriously, she was not going to humor him and do the same. Only seconds passed before he turned towards the door and walked, and she instinctively walked behind him. Once he was done, she could convince the court that she was innocent and clean this whole issue up.

The inside of the courtroom was tall and wide. The room itself was to the left of the summoning chambers where champions were brought upon to fight on the fields of justice. In the center of the room stood a high pedestal where the judge would sit, and besides the pedestal, two chairs where those who were speaking to the judge would be seated. The room itself was filled with oak benches, seating champions of all nations. Demacians in the back left, with their yellow and white colors. Amongst them were the likes of Garen, Xin Xhao, Jarvan the fourth himself, and Luxanna, the light mage. Her face showed only fear as their eyes met for the second they did. Her head turned to the side to the other side, to see the yordles. The ten of them sat side by side, only taking up the space of four of five Demacians. Tristy sat idle at the doorway, with its owner sitting patiently in the seat. Up in the forward right of the courtroom sat the Noxians. Dark clothing and dark figures was a normal for them, and they were easily picked out of a crowd. Darius, Swain and Katarina were simply a few amongst the group of Noxians. In the bottom left corner sat the members of piltover, or those who didn't belong to a major faction. In between the Demacians and the champions of piltover sat the Ionians in their shades of colors and exquisite designs. Between the Noxians the yordles sat those who were imprisoned within the institute of war but didn't have a faction to place themselves in. The judge had yet to take their place at the pedestal, and Irelia and Carlyle advanced to the front of the room and took their place inside of a small booth in front of Piltover. Across the room from them sat Riven and her younger, female judge. The two made eye contact and she got a clear look at the emotion on the Noxians face. There was none to speak of. Fear, happiness, anger, guilt, regret, sadness, agony, she showed none of it. Her face was as blank as that of a clean easel waiting to be painted upon. Her skin tone was darker of that than her lawyer, and her physique much more muscular.

"All rise for the arrival of our judge for this meeting, Karma, of Ionia." The voice announced over the PA system. Everyone rose, although some of them needed more coaxing than others, primarily the Noxians. The dark skinned woman entered the room, her strides long and practiced. The purple ribbons of her dress danced along the ground, following her like a pack of obedient dogs. She strode to the pedestal and cleared her throat. Within moments, she began speaking.

"Thank you for gathering yourselves here today. Not only to the champions, but also to the summoners who have sacrificed their free time and will to attend or participate in this trial. Your time and effort is greatly appreciated."

A swift nodding of heads came from the summoners as well as some champions.

"We have gathered here today to settle the case between Irelia of Ionian and Riven of Noxus. The case as it stands is that Irelia was attempting to return to her room after a hard night of training, only to be ambushed by Riven in the dark of night, stabbed with this blade and was then left to die as Riven fled the scene for her own selfish desires. Irelia then spent one week in a coma, and another week recovering from her injuries in the hospital. We would first like to bring forth the accused for questioning."

Riven stood from her seat and walked towards the podium to the right of karma. Carlyle stood up with a pile of notes in his hands and looked to the now seated Riven.

"Riven, as we have it here, you were not checked into your dormitory at the time of Irelia's stabbings, correct?"

"Yes, that is correct. I was not in my dormitory."

"And what is your reason for doing so?" His questioning continued.

"I was watching the Ionian train in the arena just below her room."

"And what were you hoping to accomplish from doing so?"

"I had no real motive. I simply wished to watch the young Ionian train."

"And was that reason so that you would have an easier time ambushing her as she climbed the stairs, which you knew she would take seeing as you knew where her room was?"

"No. As I stated, I had to true motive behind it."

"That is it your honor."

Carlyle returned back to his booth and sat next to Irelia, his back up, pose straight, displaying some sort of twisted pride from this. Riven returned to her booth, but her step waivered. She didn't step with the same confidence that she had done earlier. She now walked back to her booth with a limping pose, and her palms displayed sweat.

She was nervous, and Irelia knew it. Was the entire ordeal with Talon really just a setup? She'd never considered the situation in that light before. She'd always assumed that Riven had been on her side all along, but she had never really questioned Riven or asked for her motives. The thought had never even crossed her mind.

"We will now bring forth the defendant for questioning" exclaimed the far more tanned Ionian. The small door to the booth opened with a creak as she pushed on it, and the hinges returned it back to its normal position. The thoughts of Riven's motives still flew around her mind, setting off signals in her brain. Why had she trusted Riven? She had no reason to trust her aside the fact she caught her from her fall, but she hadn't seen what the Noxian did once she passed out from the stabbing. Her palms began to sweat and her pulse rose. What would she do if Riven had really set that up? But she could've killed her in the hospital room right? There had only been security cameras, and Riven could've had her blade in her chest in less time than what the guards had to get in and stop her. The light and dark emotions continued fighting in her head until she sat down upon the chair to the left of karma. Riven's lawyer rose and looked Irelia in the eyes.

"Irelia, from what I have heard, you were training the night of the incident. Is that correct?"

"Yes, that is true. I was training the night I was stabbed."

"And why were you training that night?"

"I had steam I needed to blow off, and I felt as though I needed some time alone."

"And why did you need time alone on this night Irelia?"

"I had some things that I needed to think about."

"That is all your honor."

The lawyer of Riven returned to her booth and sat down. Irelia threw a confused look her way. Those weren't questions. Those were simple facts. Was she even really trying on this case? Did she have more up her sleeve? She threw a glance to Riven, and in the mere seconds that she saw her, the signs of fear were apparent upon her face. Lines were forming around her eyes, the shaking in her eyebrows, and the trembling of her hands on the ledge in front of her. Returning back to her booth, her heart raced. She should hate the Noxian, but inside of her, she knew that she didn't want anything bad to happen to her. Riven was called back up by Carlyle who pelted her with more questions. He returned and his face and posture were even more proud this time. He wanted Riven locked away, but she was being falsely accused. What was she going to do?

"Irelia, can you come to the front?" Asked the dark Ionian from the front

Her steps were still well balanced and mature, but inside her inner conflict threatened to tear away at her very being. This was going downhill very fast, and the chances of Riven getting away from this innocent were decreasing every time. The seat felt different this time. She despised its very being. She didn't want it to be here. Or anywhere for that matter. She didn't want to be in this courtroom right now, hoping that her friend wasn't sent away to jail.

"Irelia, what are your opinions on this case? Do you feel the accused should be punished?" spoke Karma with her normal, diplomatic tone.

"No. I feel as though she shouldn't be punished at all your honor. It wasn't her that committed the crime."

"Thank you Irelia." The tall brown skinned Ionian looked around the room before speaking again. "Based on this case, I would consider the accused, Riven the exile, guilty of her crimes. Meet back here tomorrow at the same time to determine what her punishment will be."

The fact that Karma hadn't listened to her was more painful than Riven being accused guilty. Back in Ionia, the two were a tight knit, but now, all of that seemed to have faded away. The room was slowly emptied as the different champions and summoners left the room. Irelia stayed behind to speak to karma although she had been urged to leave.

"Karma, can I have a word with you?" She asked, attempting to keep her voice as calm and emotionless as her body would allow.

"Of course Irelia, why wouldn't you. The tone of your voice shows that you have something that is affecting you. And I'm going to assume it's my decision to have Riven punished for trying to murder you? You seemed rather upset about it just now." Karma knew Irelia like she knew the back of her hand. They had spent many long hours together as friends or as strategists, but no matter the situation, she enjoyed her company.

"Yes it is. You know me too well for me to even make an attempt at lying."

A small grin showed itself about her older face, before she spoke.

"I suppose that you know me as well then." Her smirk vanished. "In that case, let's agree to be honest to each other all right? Can you spare me that leisure?"

A slight nod was all she returned.

"Irelia I want you to know that I didn't want to make that choice. I want to believe you. I really do. You of all people should know that." She spoke quickly as she compiled her notes from the court meeting into a pile in her arms. "But I needed to consider what the best was for everyone else. If she attacked you, what is stopping her from attacking everybody else?"

"Karma I've said it before, I'll say it again. She wasn't the one who stabbed me."

"I want to believe you Irelia, I really do. And you know this, but I cannot take your word over everyone else's. She is simply too dangerous to trust, and you've gotten, let's say emotionally intertwined with her. We cannot take your word as seriously as I want to."

"Karma, we've done so much together. And never once have I let the words you've spoken fall upon my deaf ears. I've trusted every word you've spoken, and I need you to do the same for me. Please. Just this once, I beg you."

The sadness was apparent in Karmas eyes, but her decision held as strong as a bridge. "I'm sorry Irelia. I cannot risk your life again. You need to get away from her. That's all I can say to you."

She strode from atop her pedestal and walked to the door, leaving the pleas from Irelia to fall upon her own deaf ears. Her sadness apparent and left to her own company, she clenched his fists and teeth and screamed in her head. The pain she felt was not normal for her to feel. Her blade rose from its holster on her back into the air, spinning around the air. Storming her way outside the doors, leaving them wide open behind her in her recklessness and storming away. Away from the place of betrayal and sadness, of fear and uncertainness. Her legs picked up speed as she stormed down the hallway, feeling the wind flowing past her, and not even it wanted to get in her way. She heard and felt her heart beat as the hallway got shorter and shorter. As she approached the end, she threw her body mass over the railing with one hand, and connecting with the floor with a confirming "crash." Head over heels she rolled before regaining her balance and continuing her charge to the front doors. They parted quickly when met with the force of her hands, and the cool spring air filling her lungs and throat. Her hair was lifted off her forehead and violently thrown behind her. The spacing between her armor felt cold as the air creeped its way inside of it. Her blades fanned out in front of her, welcoming her feet. The four spread apart, and she leaped from one to another with simple ease. It was her way of cooling off. The blades flew around as stairs in a way, her foot connecting comfortingly against every one. Some shot her off in weird angles, but she trusted her blades to lead her around. Though this served no real purpose, she felt her anger inside boil down dramatically.

"Hey Irey, what are you doing outside?" Spoke a small voice tens of meters away. Her blades reconnected into one solid object around the red orb as she dropped towards the ground. The shock was felt up her legs to her arms, but she didn't feel any obvious injury. She looked over to see Lux standing just outside the doors. She'd moved roughly thirty feet in her little expedition. The light mage had her standard smile on, and it warmed her mood slightly. Approaching the girl, she felt her mind clear.

"I'm blowing off steam. What are you doing outside?"

"I followed you. I saw you take off down the hallway; I was going to talk to you once you left to see if you were ok, but you just took off, so I decided to follow you. Is something wrong?"

"Was that an honest question? Do I look perfectly fine right now?"

The mage seemed undisturbed by the phrase. "Oh, I'm sorry. It's just so normal for me to ask if someone's ok first. I guess it's just a routine for me now. What's on your mind?"

"Lux, do you think that Riven is guilty of the crimes she has been committed of?"

"Irelia, I do think that she did. That's my honest answer. Why?"

"So even you believe that she did it. I decided to be a hero and try to save her life, and now all I've done is get her into an even worse position. Wonderful."

"Irey what are you talking about? You're not the reason that Riven might be sent to jail or executed tomorrow. It's not your fault."

Irelia's body collapsed into the arms of the light mage. They simply didn't have the power to hold that thought. She felt her arms wrap around her back and hold her up. Her mind began filling with the thoughts of Riven again, but this time, she was lying face up in a casket. Arms crossed over her chest, eyes closed. Clean and dressed well. Sadness shot through her body, shaking her at her center. The little blonde haired girl held her up surprisingly well, seeing as Irelia stood roughly a half a foot to a foot taller. Tears didn't dare show their faces on this occasion, but she wanted to. But she needed to put on a mask. Hide what she was feeling. She herself didn't know what she was feeling. Minutes passed, Lux never once bothering to interrupt Irelia in her thoughts. Once she had gathered her strength and thoughts, she backed away from the demacian and raised her head.

"Thank you Lux. I needed that."

"I will always be here for you Irelia. You keep that in mind alright?" A small smile stretched along her face. "If you ever need something, or you just need a shoulder to cry on, I'm here for you alright?"

"I appreciate it. I'm heading back inside Lux. I'll see you tomorrow alright? I might need you."

Signs of confusion spread across her face, but it was quickly followed up with a nod. Lux might not catch onto everything immediately, but she was smart if you gave her a few seconds to collect her thoughts. Irelia headed back inside, the large doors opening much slower this time around, and she returned to her room. The padded carpet felt far away as she stepped inside. It didn't feel like home. Walking over to her bed, she collapsed backwards and rested her head against the pillow. Within minutes of falling down on the bed, her mind ventured off as her body slept. The cold covered her still clothed body, and shivers split up her spine. Her body rocked violently in its sleep, launching her pillow and bed sheets against the walls and to the floor. Her body rocked up, her heart beating quickly in her chest. Her dreams had not been pleasant. She tried to imagine other things, but all she could imagine was Riven, lying in her casket. The thought scared her, and the sweat poured off her body in almost waves. She looked out the window to see that the sun was still up. She left her room and walked down the corridor towards the court. Turning left across the bridge that connected the two walkways, she walked forwards with determination. The padded carpet pushed into her footsteps, and her legs moved at a steady, rapid pace. She dashed down the hallway she had ventured down yesterday. The third door on the right. The door opened with so little as a noise, and Irelia entered. In the cage sat the woman she had come to find. Her red eyes zoned into the wall across from her, her back pressed to the wall, her thighs on a bench. She was immediately announced to her friend's presence and a smile crossed her face. Irelia walked over and knelt down beside the grate, Riven doing the same.

"What are you doing here Irelia? No one should be seeing me at this time, let alone you. They're going to think that you're crazy!"

"That's of my concern and mine only. Don't you worry about me."

"What are you doing here?"

"I heard you the first time Riven. I came to make sure you're alright. I pleaded to Karma to have your punishment revoked, but she didn't so much as consider it. She said it was for the better of everyone else, and it wasn't just her own thought. She didn't believe me when I told her that it wasn't you who had done it. She didn't want to believe me. I… I was scared Riven."

A small nod came from the Noxian through the bars. "I know you're scared. I'm scared. It's alright to be scared Irelia."

"Don't you try coaching me on feelings." She spoke with a smile

"Oh, how'd I forget that I'm not allowed to have feelings?" The Noxian returned with the same happy tone."

"Riven, aren't you afraid of what might happen to you tomorrow?"

"Irelia, everything in life happens for a purpose. Everything we do and have done has occurred for a reason. I learned that the hard way. Right before I abandoned Noxus. Those reasons are not always the right ones. And you can get mad at the choices that someone else made. That's just in our nature. But If I do die tomorrow, I want to let you know that..."

"Don't you go telling me you're going to die now! I won't let that happen to you alright? I promise you."

"Irelia, it's alright. I'm not afraid of dying. I just want to let you know that" Her hand rose to the bars. "You're someone special to me alright? I want you to know that."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"How about when I make it through this, we talk about it?" Her face bore an amused smile. She was enjoying watching the torment she was putting her friend through. Irelia brought her hand to match Riven's on the bars.

"Riven, I want to let you know that I…" The words got caught in throat. She swallowed her salvia and pride in one breath and spoke as fast as she could. "I want to let you know that…"

"Once I make it out of this alright? We already spoke about this."

"What if you don't?" She felt the emotion in her voice.

"You made a promise right? You're not going to let me die. I trust you with my life."

Her throat felt swollen. Emotion filled her to her core. She forced a smile.

"But you said you weren't afraid of dying."

"You think that I want to die tomorrow?"

"But you made it sound like you did. You sound like life has no meaning."

"Life does have meaning. I'm looking in the eyes right now."

The words got caught in her ears. She felt warmer inside, and her comment made her cheer up immensely. The smile she bore was no longer forced, it came naturally.

"Thank you Riven. We'll see each other tomorrow right? I need to get back to sleep."

"Of course, and make sure you don't back down on your promise."

She took her hand off of the bars and walked towards the door.

"Goodnight Riven. You sleep well."

"You too, Ionian."

She walked down the hallway and back towards her room. Her steps now filled with purpose, her heart warmed, she felt truly happy. The smile across her face was worn with pride. She knew that there were feelings between her and Riven, but she didn't know what. As she began to fall back asleep in the warmth of her bed, she could only think of tomorrow. She was going to find out what Riven and her had between them.

The sun was only just rising as Irelia awoke. Standing up and walking over to her shower, she felt happy, truly happy, for the first time since she'd awoken inside these walls. She tried to push the fact that Riven was going to be charged today out of her mind, but right now, her body didn't even want to have those thoughts. Steam filled the room, causing the mirror to go grey. After exiting the shower, she got herself dressed with a second set of her armor that she had been provided while the first one was being cleaned. As she walked around her room looking for something to spark an Idea into mind, she heard a banging against her door. As she opened it, she saw the light mage. Her smile was gone, and in its place sat fear.

"Lux, what are you doing? What's wrong?"

Lux grabbed her by the hand, pulled her outside, shut the door, and took off with Irelia in tow down the hallway.

"Irey, you slept in!"

"What about it? It can't be that big of a deal. I just needed some sleep last night."

"Riven's already been charged. She's not going to survive it."

The swelling in her throat returned. Her trial was to be set before sunrise, and she had completely slept through it.

"Riven's going to be killed?"

"Yes. She earned the death sentence. They determined that seeing as you were not here, you were too afraid and that she had caused too much damage to you to even see her face again."

The Ionians strides increased in length and speed, and soon, it was Lux who was in tow. They sprinted in unison down the hallway, towards the entrance. Not another word was spoken between the two girls as they sprinted down the hall. Irelia felt her heart begin to burn. She had promised Riven that she was not going to let her die, and she had failed. She stopped the tears as they tried to make their way across her face. She main doors sat only a hundred feet away now. Her blades fanned down from the railing, and she leapt gracefully down them, rolling as she hit the ground. Lux ran around the stairs, but Irelia wasn't going to wait for her. The main doors opened quickly, revealing a sight that caused Irelia's heart to skip a beat. Riven sat atop a wooden platform, a noose around her neck. Her eyes darted around the crowd, and she knew why.

_She was looking for her. _

Irelia stretched her arm towards her, but the platform was an eternity away. Their eyes finally met, and the despair in Riven's eyes now had a tint of happiness.

"Drop her." The words came from a summoner beside her on the platform.

Irelia spared herself one blink, but when her eyes reopened, Riven sat, with eyes closed, dangling in the air, her feet no longer visible.

Her first tear hit the ground before her knees did.


	6. Chapter 6

Irelia's knees sunk hard into the ground as her body collapsed in defeat. Riven, The Exile of Noxus now hung in the air, noose around her neck. Her fists bore into the ground, trying to find some way of releasing the emotion she had stored inside her. Her eyes were filled with an unwelcome liquid. But no amount of strength prevented the tears from streaming down her cheeks. They pooled up on her nose and dropped down to the ground, and she felt as though she could hear the sound of every one hitting the ground. Behind them they left a salty trail, the path down her cheeks ran as a river, drops hitting like a small rain. Her head thrashed around, launching tears all around her. The grass had loss its green color. It was now a dull green, its bright color gone. Although she tried to look away from the situation, it played in full detail in her mind. Riven sat on the platform, her red eyes showing a wide variety of emotions. Fear, sadness, happiness, all in one glance. Her hand reached out, through the crowd, as if trying to grab her own. Their hands hundreds of feet apart, connected only through their thoughts. A small smile broke upon the face of the fated Noxian before her body dropped down, her life ended. Her body rocked around, her hands at her side. The death had been quick, her spine snapped instantaneously. She would have felt nothing in her final moments. But that wasn't good enough. She had made her a promise. She was going to get her through this. They had so much they still needed to talk about. They were going to talk about what they felt for each other. They had to. She had promised. She had promised. But now, due to one simply mistake, she had resulted in her death. Her fists pushed the ground, and she rose to a stand, her pose a mix between standing proudly, and appearing as though the wind itself would launch her into the air like a sheet of discarded paper. She placed her feet, one in front of the other, toward the Noxians body. The tears no longer clouded her vision. There was going to be a time to mourn. But that was not right now. Right now, she had to apologize. Step by step, she closed the gap between her and the Noxians body. It sat still suspended in the air. The muscles that had once allowed her to swing around and wield her sword with fluent precision had ceased to function. Her body jerked around side to side in the spams of death. Arms and legs swinging around in the air, no longer affected by the environment around her. The sight of this reconfirmed the sadness she felt inside her. The actions didn't fit her. Her actions were trained. Not even in death did her movements seem normal. The distance closed between the two, though the Noxians protests of death had not ended. Her body continued their jerking actions. Irelia had seen death. She had seen far more of it than anyone should ever have to see. And she had felt it herself. But despite having seen so much death, no one ever shuddered this long in their final moments. They had been mere moments, quick bursts of the person who had once been contesting their demise. But people had always ended so much faster. And the closer she got, the more the actions seemed controlled. Finally, as only fifteen feet remained between the depressed Ionian and the platform that ended her friend's life, the Noxians eyes shot open.

"RIVEN" she screamed as loud as her coarse throat would allow

The Noxians eyes found the source, fear the only emotion that was now apparent. Her red eyes still had the same glow that they contained the night before. Her hands rose to her neck, trying to lift her from the noose. But her muscles didn't have the oxygen they needed to function. Her attempts at lifting herself free would never become less futile than they were right now. Irelia's legs popped into action as she dashed at the platform.

"Draven, finish the job please." Came the voice of the summoner who had ordered Riven's execution.

"I've got the best job." Spoke the tall man. His hand in one fluent motion grabbed one of the enormous axes off his back and launched it in a perfect arch towards Riven's midsection. Its blade was a deep black with reflective silver around the outside. The blade spun quickly enough that even the designs on the sides of the blades had become a whirl of color caught in the arch. The axe was also well aimed. She could tell just from the trajectory of the blade that it was going to be somewhere that it shouldn't in several seconds. But that was more than enough. One moment, the axe cleaved the air, its colors a whirling masterpiece. The next it was burrowed to the hilt in the platform, the blade completely hidden inside. The second axe flew even faster, but now that she knew what was coming, it was tossed out of the air with mere ease. As she was about to let to let her guard down, a large, shaded object leap from the crowd on a path towards the Noxian. His axe, standing nearly as tall as he, hung behind his back, poised to slice upon contact. His cape drug behind him in the wind, thrashing side to side as it did. Despite being so heavy due to his heavy armor and large weapon, he managed to leap several feet into the air and with great momentum. But her training had prepared her to counter any sort of opponent, no matter his size. Her blades shot out, gripping his axe and legs, before launching him back into the crowd, causing them to scatter like ashes to the wind. She turned tail and leapt quickly onto the corner of the platform, and she felt the wind breeze alongside her face as she turned around to make sure that nobody else was going to try and end her friend's life. Once she had almost resulted in the death of Riven, and that was already once too many. She felt her blades swing around behind her and cut the noose, and the panicked gasps of air that came shortly afterwards. She didn't hear the noise of Riven crashing to the ground, so she assumed her blades had her suspended in the air. Moments passed like days as time froze to a stop. The dazed on look of the crowd, shocked by the turn of events. The look upon the executioners face, his eyes displaying shock. The summoner who had ordered her friend's death, looking around as though he expected someone else to rise to the challenge of trying to kill her. It felt as though minutes had passed before she heard the sound of Riven's limp body collapsing to the platform, the sounds of her limbs crashing down one by one. She turned around on her heels, her blades floating just over the Noxians head, gliding around in the air softly as though riding on the air itself. She ran over to the collapsed woman, bringing herself to kneel in front of her. She wrapped her arms around her shoulders, pressing the two together. The Noxian had her hands poised firmly around her neck, her deep breaths long and wheezy.

"Riven, are you ok? Can you breathe alright?" She asked the winded exile.

"Yeah, I am. Thank you" she coughed, her breathing irregular and loud "thank you for saving me."

"It's the least I can do. I got you into this mess and I plan to get you out of it. I promised you that last night right? I don't plan to take back on it."

Their short conversation was cut short by the sounds of boards creaking. As she turned her head, she caught sight of a man, wielding a knife in a very inefficient way. His hands shook, the end of the knife painting small circles in the air. His body was small and frail. He looked as though she could've launched him halfway to the plague jungles if she tried hard enough.

"Irelia … I … I want you to … back away from Riven… Right now … alright?"

She had to force herself to not break into an outburst of laughter. She'd stopped two people from killing her already, and she wasn't going to let Riven die now.

"You back away before I send you flying into that crowd without even so much as a second thought." Her voice changing from that of caring and compassion, to stern and forceful. She wouldn't let him lay a hand on her, and she wanted him to know.

"I… I'll stab you too if you don't get out of the way. And don't think that I'm joking. I'm not." His voice wavered, his attempts to hide his fear in his voice failing.

Irelia unwrapped her arms from the panting Noxian, her body turning to face the shaking man. Her posture was tall and frightening. Her shoulders pressed back, her back extended. Karma had taught her this. It was used all the time between government officials as a sign of their serious intentions and respect. But it could also serve as a method of intimidation. She walked towards the short man, her blades whizzing around her body, the red orb in her hand.

"Do you really think that I fear that small knife? I wouldn't use that to cut the bread I eat." Her pose remained strong, her shoulders still pressed back as she approached the man with the quivering hands, his posture now wavering as she approached with no sign of fear. Her steps remained constant, her breathing rhythmic.

"I'm warning you one more time. If you take one step closer, I'll stab you. You… you better step back!"

But his empty threats did nothing to falter the Ionians stride. She walked with pride in her step. She felt proud. She approached the man faster now, who backed up to attempt to avoid a face to face confrontation. But Irelia rapidly increased her pace, closing the remaining distance and grabbing the man's free hand. The sweat poured from the man's face in droves. His posture slumped as he tried to shrink himself, but the grip on his wrist remained firm. The knife was positioned against her breastbone, applying a strange feeling as the tip pushed her skin in ever so faintly. It wavered against cloth shirt she wore. Her armor remained back in her room, as she hadn't had time to throw it on in all the commotion that had occurred.

"What are you going to do? Are you going to stab me? In front of all of these people for standing up for what I want to believe in? If that's the case, your knife is three inches too low and four too far to the right to get into a place where you can actually hurt me."

His expression changed from a false sense of authority behind a wave of fright to a much more acceptant, enlightened one. He knew that he had no hopes of standing up to her in an actual fight. The knife shook around as it hit the ground, alternating between hilt and knife edge as it jittered on the ground.

"I don't know what I'm doing. I don't want to stab anyone."

"Of course you don't." She turned back to face Riven. "Thanks for dropping the knife by the way."

She strode back towards her downed ally, the breath starting to return to her lungs. The Noxians face had begun to recover its color, or what little color that it had. The white-blue skin now returning to a very light tan, her face looking far more human. Irelia lent her hand to Riven, who gladly accepted it to pull herself back to her feet. Her warm smile showed only for a brief second before switching to a face of extreme terror. Her head swiveled around to see a hooded figure, knife in hand, vaulting towards the duo. Irelia's body turned around and her arms outstretched, trying to cover the noxian as well as she could. His figure flew quick from the audience.

"If you want something done, do it yourself!" he yelled in anger as he flew towards them.

"TALON! NOOOO!" Irelia managed to shout. Her blades flew into the air above her, ready to deflect his figure if he got too close. But as he was about to connect, his figure was propelled into the one of the posts that held up the platform, his arm getting jammed inside of one of the triangular supports that connected between the side and top of two beams, and his body wrapped around. The arm contorted into an inhuman shape, clearly broken. The wind also lifted Riven and Irelia into the air, but their preparation was much higher. Irelia's blades managed to intercept the two girls, holding their bodies in the air as the wind pushing them harder and harder into the smooth sides of blades. A gargoyle like shape sat in the audience, his mouth open, obviously the source of the intense wind. The wind ceased after several seconds, dropping the figures down. They both collapsed in awkward shapes, but no more injury was sustained. Talons arm was in critical condition at this point, but his face was hidden from sight by the support pillar.

"Riven are you ok?" Irelia managed to speak as her breath returned to her. The Noxian was face up, laying against the platform. "Do you feel pain anywhere?"

"No, I'm ok. How about you?"

"From what I can feel, not right now." She lied. She felt a pull in her back left shoulder blade. Pain shot out in waves, causing her teeth to clench. She must've pulled it after hitting the ground. The gargoyle appeared and helped the two girls off the ground again, their bodies battered.

"My apologies for catching you in that. You were not supposed to be hit. Are you in pain?"

"Not right now. Thank you for that Galio." His face displayed no emotion

"It's my mistake that this situation got this far. I should've spoken up sooner."

"What do you mean? You should've spoken up sooner?"

"That is not our concern right now. Right now, we must get this situation sorted out."

Behind them, a squad of soldiers in head to toe body armor and weapons of all assortments lined up in two lines, one crouched, with a standing line behind them. A taller man, also dressed in military apparel stood beside them, with three upside down V's on his left shoulder. His voice came out muffled and strong.

"You have caused so much commotion. This was supposed to be a simple execution, and now look what you have done Irelia. Now we need to execute you for assisting a criminal on multiple occasions."

"Sergeant Donavan, She hasn't done anything. Neither one of them have. They're both innocent on the charges placed upon them, and they haven't done anything to deserve this. Step down now."

"Galio, I'm aware that you believe that these girls are innocent, but I need you to step out of the line of fire before you need to put you down as well. Stop making this harder than it needs to be."

"You will not shoot these girls. I know their innocence, and I will not let you take them down now."

"How do you even know your eyes aren't deceiving you? You might not have seen the right thing anyways."

"You think that I haven't watched long enough!" I had to watch my masters corpse, the only person who I had any connection to, rot into a pile of bones in the ground. He was the reason I am here today. He made me, and he was my father. And then he was gone from me in the blink of an eye. I had to watch him die, I had to watch every moment of his death. I had to watch him breathe his last breaths. I had to watch him pass away. I had to watch him rot away into the ground. I had to watch for far too long. If you think that my eyes can deceive me, it is you who is deceived. You need to back down now."

The words seemed to turn the gears inside of the soldiers head, and several moments later, he made a gesture for the rest of his squad to lower their weapons.

"You have made the right choice today Donavan. What I told you earlier was not a lie, and I owe you one."

"Get them out of my sight, before something else happens. Now"

Galio escorted them off the stage and into the building as the commotion of Talon continued on in the background. They slipped inside the building and returned to Irelia's room, galio staying in the doorway.

"You two are going to stay here until you are instructed otherwise. We are going to get you out of this situation, and get your lives back to normal. Is that understood?" 

"Yeah it is. But who is we?" Irelia responded with a confused voice

"Everyone who believes and knows of your innocent. Farewell" And with that abrupt ending, he closed the door behind him and left, the sound of his wings flapping slowly quieted and eventually disappeared down the hallway.

The two girls looked back and forth at each other, standing in the middle of the largest part of Irelia's room

"What do we do now?" Spoke the Noxian, her voice still quivering over the fact that five minutes ago, she was about to be shot, stabbed and hung.

"Right now? We do what he said we do. We wait." She replied to Riven. "We sit here, and we wait."

"I can do that with you Irelia. It's time we get to know each other a little better huh?"

Irelia gave her a small smile in return. "Yeah, it is."


End file.
